At Medica Superspecialty Hospital (a part of Manipal Hospitals Network), the Eastern Region chapter of “Deceased Organ and Tissue Donation” was launched by Manipal Organ Sharing & Transplant (MOST), a ground-breaking program under Manipal Hospitals.

The launch event was graced by Prof. (Dr) Manimay Bandhopadhyay, Director of Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation(ROTTO)& Director- Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education & Research (IPGMER), Prof. (Dr.) Aniruddha Neogi, State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (SOTTO) Nodal Officer – Swasthya Bhawan, Prof. (Dr.) Debansu Sarkar, joint director ROTTO, Dr (Col) Avnish Seth, VSM, Country Head of Manipal Organ Sharing & Transplant, Dr. Arpita Ray Chowdhury (Lahiri), Senior Consultant – Nephrology and Transplant President of the Indian Society of Organ Transplantation (ISOT), and Consultant, Department of Nephrology, Manipal Hospital, Mukundapur, Dr.Shugota Chakrabarti, Regional Head – Medical Services, Manipal Hospitals – East, and Dr. Ayanabh Debgupta, Regional COO, Manipal Hospitals, East.

Leading medical experts from Eastern India, including specialists from Manipal Hospitals and other prestigious institutions, were also in attendance, signifying a joint effort to improve deceased organ donation systems via cooperation and public education.

Despite advancements in healthcare, India still faces a severe organ shortage, with over 6,000 people losing their lives every day due to a lack of available transplants. There has been some progress in kidney and liver transplants from living donors, but only brain-dead donors can provide organs like the heart and lungs, and awareness and consent rates are appallingly low. Although fewer than 400 surgeries are performed annually, estimates suggest that over 7,000 to 8,000 patients could benefit from heart transplants alone. Long-term activity in this region is still needed, particularly in the Eastern zone, and programs like MOST are crucial to changing that situation.

The opening of MOST’s Eastern chapter is a significant step in closing the stark discrepancy between the region’s organ supply and demand. Fundamentally, the goal of this project is to normalise the discussion of deceased organ donation among the general public and the medical community.

Renowned nephrologists, intensivists, transplant surgeons, and critical care specialists from various healthcare specialities participated in the engaging panel discussion on “Measures to Increase Deceased Organ Donation by Inter-Hospital Collaboration in Eastern India”, which also included keynote addresses and a lamp-lighting ceremony.

Priyanka Dutta