ONE of the objectives of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994 was to clear the decks legally for the development of a cadaver-based organ transplantation programme. Towards this end, the Act recognised and defined, for the first time in India, the concept of “brain-stem death”.

Since the Act came into force, however, only about 110 kidney transplants from cadavers have been performed in the country, according to Dr. J.V. Thachil, Chief Urologist at the Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, and Dr. J. Amalorpavanathan, Transplant Coordinator at the Government General Hospital, Chennai. Tamil Nadu is the clear leader in the field, with three leading medical institutions in the State accounting for 79 of these. Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, has done 53 cadaveric renal transplants; the Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Research Institute, Chennai, 14; and the Christian Medical College and Hospital, Vellore, 12. In addition, the Government General Hospital, Chennai, has done 8 cadaveric kidney transplants, and K.G. Hospital, Coimbatore,2….Readmore