13 renal, four corneal transplants performed in Jammu GMC in one year: J&K SOTTO

jj correspondent

Jammu, Mar 27: Asserting that that there has been a large deficit between demand and availability of organs and tissues in India including Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Shashi Sudhan Sharma, Chairperson, State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (SOTTO) and Principal, Government Medical College and Hospital Jammu on Monday said that 13 renal and four corneal transplants are performed in the nearly last one year since the registration from Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) in April 2022.
“There has been a large deficit between demand and availability of organs and tissues in India including Jammu and Kashmir but still, the renal and corneal transplant programme is running successfully in Government Medical College Jammu,” Dr Sudhan here told reporters at a press conference.
She said that the transplants were performed under Ayushman Bharat with logistics provided by the Hospital since its registration from Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS).
The Principal GMC praised the efforts of administration, faculty and staff for making the best services available to the patients in Jammu.
She also informed that GMC Jammu has been working to start deceased organ donation from brain dead persons diagnosed after road traffic accidents as well as brain haemorrhage etc, who can be potential donors for eyes, kidneys, lungs, heart, liver etc.
“Families of such persons can donate organs and tissues for saving lives of the end stage organ failure persons, who otherwise are going to die,” she added and said that those organs and tissues, other than eyes and kidneys, not utilized by this institution shall be transported to other hospitals by creating green corridor for which multiple meetings were organized with stakeholder departments viz. local police, traffic police, airport authority and airport security for creation of a green corridor for transporting organs from GMC Jammu to other hospitals within and outside J&K.
“Soon GMC shall conduct a mock exercise for transport of organs between GMC and Airport,” said the Doctor.
Further she said that the GMC has also been arranging training for Transplant Surgeons, Nurses and Transplant Coordinators etc. in collaboration with SOTTO J&K at PGIMER Chandigarh and other institutions.
She apprised that GMC Jammu is the first Hospital to perform live Kidney Transplant in the Jammu Division.
Responding to the questions, she informed that SOTTO J&K established in September 2019 at Super Specialty Hospital Jammu, has been working hard to create awareness of organ donation.
“It has organized around 140 awareness campaigns and more than 1400 people have pledged their organs for donation during these activities,” she said adding that the Prime Minister of India, Narender Modi in 99th episode of ‘Man Ki Baat’ on March 26, supported the cause by requesting people to volunteer for pledging Organ Donation, a noble cause thereby giving life to others in their afterlife, she added.
The chairperson was flanked by Dr Elias Sharma, HoD Urology and Renal Transplant and Nodal Officer SOTTO J&K, Dr. Sanjeev Puri, Joint Director, SOTTO J&K, Dr Manoj Chalotra, Medical Superintendent, Superspeciality Hospital, Dr Kailash Thakur, Assistant Professor Surgery and Dr. Raju Bhandari, Consultant Nephrologist, GMC Jammu. UNI