Organ Donation And Related Issues In India

1. Organ Donation And Related Issues In India India has emerged as one of the most advanced states for medical sciences in recent times. Several people from developed and developing countries now view India as one of the most viable, advanced and affordable destinations for cutting edge medical procedures. Doctors in India are pioneering some of the most advanced medical procedures in the world and one area where we have made rapid progress is in the field of organ transplantation. Currently, India is one of the leading countries for carrying out liver, kidney, lung and heart transplants as thousands of patients undergo successful transplants every year. Organ transplants is necessitated when an individual’s organs are unable to perform necessary functions to adequately support his/her life. Some of the common causes of organ failure are – liver cirrhosis, renal failure, blindness of the yes, lung failure etc. This necessitates that the healthy organ(s) from a consenting individual are transplanted in place of the malfunctioning organs to allow the diseased individual to find a new lease of life. Organ transplants are highly advanced procedures and are also confronted by various ethical issues. With the increasing abilities of our doctors to perform these procedures there is an increasing ethical dilemma faced by the medical professionals and governments in determining the right procedure of seeking, finding and consenting an organ donor. Primarily there are three key issues to be tackled in terms of organ donation, viz., Affordability Issues, Allocation Issues and Procurement Issues. Foremost concern is that of procurement. Given that the availability of organ donors is completely skewed to those who are seeking a transplant. What is the criteria to seek a donation, how to get necessary consent and what’s the timeframe to harvest the donated organs – each of these is a tricky scenario and difficult to ascertain objectively. Secondly, in terms of allocation there is no fool-proof mechanism that gives every transplant needing individual a fair chance of survival. How does one ascertain and objectively define – emergency, necessary and immediacy? These are often surrounded by subjective parameters and have no clear cut method to evaluate one from the other. In most cases, the principle of benefit is applied – wherein the patient expected to the greatest benefit is given the first preference of securing a donated organ, however, this is not an error free mechanism. Finally, there is the affordability factor. Organ transplants are complex and highly advanced procedures and certainly there is a high cost involved. Even in a relatively cheaper place like India, the cost is still considerably higher. In this scenario, should a patient be deprived of an organ transplant simply because he is unable to afford one or should the state come forward to foot the bill? Once again, there is no definitive answer to this. Thus, it is sufficiently evident that organ transplant is not just a complex medical procedure it is often fraught with a complex ethical conundrum.