Hyderabad: The Telangana Assembly passed a resolution, adopting the Transplantation of Human Organs Act (Central Act 42), 1994 and Rules, 1995 (THOA), and Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues (Amendment) Act of 2011 (THOTA).
State health minister Damodar Raja Narasimha moved the resolution during the special session of the Assembly on Monday, March 24.
The Act regulates the removal, storage, and transplantation of human organs and tissues for therapeutic purposes, and prevents commercial dealings in them. Transplantation of organs like the heart, kidney, liver, and bone marrow, skin tissues, blood valves, heart valves form part of this Act.
THOTA enables the transplantation of organs from brain-dead people to the needy. The Act enables grandparents to donate their organs to their grandchildren suffering from genetic disorders, and vice versa.
The rules will give stringent punishment to those illegally supplying or transplanting organs with a jail term ranging between 3 to 10 years and a fine ranging between Rs 5,000 and Rs 1 crore.
As per the 1995 regulations, only neurosurgeons and neurophysicians could declare a person brain-dead. As per the new regulations, a physician, surgeon, intensivist and anaesthetist can also declare the same.
A government advisory committee for organ donation and transplantation is also part of the Act.
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The central organ donation system would be linked with the Jeevandan through the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO), Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) and National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO).
SOTTO is an effective and secure online application for the management of cadaver organ harvesting and transplantation (single and multi organs like kidney, liver, heart, heart valves, eyes, lungs and pancreas) and allocation processes.
The Act also enables sourcing organs donated in any other state, to be transplanted in Telangana.
Transplantation coordinators would be appointed in every hospital to oversee the donation, sourcing and transplantation of organs, in addition to establishing organ donation and storage centres in the state. It also aids in boosting medical tourism.
