PANJIM: Indian Medical Association (IMA) Goa, launched an online registration facility for organ donors in the State.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, Dr Shital Lingade, consultant at the Nephrology Department of Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMC) emphasised on kidney transplants and said, “Dialysis is not the lifelong solution for any patient and a kidney transplant will help a person live longer. In Goa at least 50 kidney transplants are required every year.”
Supporting the statement, Dr Amol Mahaldar, nephrologist at Manipal Hospitals, Goa said that every month 2-3 patients are referred to hospitals outside the State for kidney transplant and the same could be possible if enough kidneys could be retrieved from brain dead and willful donors after their deaths.
“While there are around 800-900 dialysis patients in Goa, at least a fifth of these are fit for kidney transplant and live a better life. That means around 150-200 patients in Goa require kidney transplants,” he stated.
He, however, said that in the absence of an organs harvest policy and facility, no such data has been maintained which can provide statistics on the number of patients awaiting organ transplant.
Responding to the government initiative in providing infrastructure, Mahaldar said representatives of IMA held a meeting with Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and a note for setting up the required infrastructure is being moved.
“We need a lab which can perform the process of organ harvest and storage and then a registry of donors as well as those who are in need of receiving along with a body to follow up on cases and policy orders have to be promulgated by the government,” he added.
