Context: The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) issued a directive prioritising women patients and relatives of deceased donors in organ allocation to address gender disparity in organ transplants.
National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO)
Overview
- National-level organisation under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, New Delhi.
- Established as per the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues (Amendment) Act, 2011.
- Serves as the apex centre for coordination and networking of organ and tissue donation and transplantation in India.
Main Divisions
- National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network
- National Biomaterial Centre
Key Functions and Activities
- Facilitate safe and timely organ transplantation across the country.
- Maintain a national registry for organ and tissue donation and transplantation.
- Lay down policy guidelines and protocols for transplantation-related functions.
- Network with regional and state-level organisations.
- Compile and publish registry data from states and regions.
- Promote awareness and deceased organ donation
- Coordinate procurement, allocation, and transplantation of organs, including inter-region transfers.
- Disseminate information to hospitals, organisations, and individuals involved in transplantation.
- Monitor transplantation activities across states and maintain a data bank.
- Assist states in data management, transplant surveillance, and donor registry.
- Provide consultancy support on legal and non-legal aspects of donation and transplantation.
- Organise training programs for various cadres of healthcare and transplantation workers.