Tamil Nadu Steps Up Fight Against Illegal Organ Transplants with New Committees
In a big move to tackle rising complaints about kidney thefts and illegal organ transplants, the Tamil Nadu Health and Family Welfare Department has revamped its oversight system. They’ve set up fresh state and district-level Authorisation Committees to keep a close eye on organ donation and transplantation processes, making sure everything stays ethical and transparent.
This change comes right after a Government Order on September 8, signed by Principal Secretary P. Senthilkumar. It follows the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, and the rules from 2014. The goal? Boost transparency in organ transplantation, stick to ethical standards, and win back public trust in Tamil Nadu’s organ donation setup.
At the state level, the Authorisation Committee now gets led by the Director of Medical Education and Research from Kilpauk, Chennai. Key members include Deans from Stanley and Kilpauk Medical Colleges, top police officers, a woman doctor picked by the Indian Medical Association (IMA), and officials from the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services.
This state team will handle tricky cases, like transplant requests from foreign nationals or people from other states coming to Tamil Nadu. They’ll also keep tabs on how district committees perform.
To cover the whole state, four regional committees are now in place: one in Chennai for the northern region, Thanjavur for central, Coimbatore for western, and Madurai for southern. Each one is headed by the Dean of the local government medical college. They’ll review and approve transplant applications in their areas.
These committees bring together senior doctors, district officials, police heads, and IMA-nominated women doctors. Their main jobs include checking if donors and recipients are truly related, verifying all documents, and making sure no one faces pressure or coercion.
For unrelated donors, expect even stricter checks, with help from police and revenue teams. Trusted non-profits might step in too, offering counseling on medical, legal, and emotional sides of organ donation. Plus, all approved hospitals now have to send monthly reports on transplant applications and results to improve record-keeping.
There’s a small fee of Rs 2,000 for each application—half goes to the state funds, and the other half covers the committees’ running costs.
Officials say this upgraded system strikes a balance between meeting urgent medical needs and putting strong guards against any kind of exploitation. It keeps Tamil Nadu’s organ transplantation process open, responsible, and fair for everyone involved.
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