Illegal organ transplants on the rise: Central govt warns, India News

New Delhi: The central government has warned that the trend of illegal organ transplants is on the rise.

Organ donation is the transfer of organs from a deceased person to someone in need. Apart from this, organ donation is allowed on compassionate grounds in case of a close relative.

But commercialization of organ donation is a crime under Indian law. The Directorate of Public Health Services of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has issued guidelines to state and union territory governments regarding organ donation and procurement.

According to the guidelines, the central government has urged the state and union territory governments to make identification of the National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organization mandatory for both the organ donor and the recipient to prevent illegal organ transplants.

There has been an increase in the number of foreigners coming to India for organ transplants. Because the cost of organ donation in India is very low. At the same time, the hospitals here should ensure that the transplant treatment done to foreigners is done according to Indian law. Commercial organ transplantation is a criminal offense under the law.

Organ transplant details should be collected and shared with the National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organization on a monthly basis about the foreigners coming for this purpose. It says so.