Even as instances of organ donations are on the increase in the city, the nodal centre for the western region intended to boost inter-state organ allocations is stuck for a rather strange reason: the Maharashtra government is yet to utilise funds allocated by the central government to build nursing schools.
In the previous financial year, funds allocated for the Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) at KEM Hospital had lapsed for the same reason, and there is no headway in the matter till date.
The Centre is investing Rs 5 crore in each of these regional centres, of which Rs 70 lakh was earmarked for the ROTTO at KEM last year. Dr Avinash Supe, dean, KEM Hospital, said, “We have got the space and we are working with ZTCC, but there is still no support from the Centre.”
State health department officials said they have held three meetings with central government authorities to explain how funds unutilised for nursing schools have nothing to do with ROTTO. “There is no connection between nursing schools and ROTTO, except that the money has come to Directorate of Health Services (DHS),” Dr Gauri Rathod, nodal officer for the state’s human organ transplant programme, said.
The Centre had allocated Rs 42 crore for nursing schools to the DHS in 2012-13, and Dr Rathod says this money will take time to be utilised. “But the government says when so much [money] is lying with the DHS, why should it get more funds [for ROTTO],” she added. Officials said the state government has to submit a utilisation certificate to the Centre before it can get funds for ROTTO.
The Union government, as part of the national organ transplant programme, had planned six regional centres. Besides KEM Hospital in Mumbai, the other ROTTOs have been planned at the Government Multi Super Speciality Hospital in Chennai, Guwahati Medical College, PGI Chandigarh and IPGMER in Kolkata. The national centre is coming up at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi.
“Of these, PGI Chandigarh, which is for northern region, is functional and has already recruited staff for ROTTO,” Dr Anil Kumar, nodal officer for the National Organ Transplant Programme (NOTP), said. Initial work has begun at the Guwahati Medical College as well, he added.
Though the city has a Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee, the ROTTO would widen the scope of the organ donation network and streamline it. “There will be better coordination with ROTTO and everything will be online,” Dr Rathod said.
The regional nodal centres are also expected to increase awareness for donations, maintaining registries and streamlining allocation of organs first within the state, then the region and the nation depending on geographical connectivity.
There's no connection between nursing schools and ROTTO, except that money has come to DHS
Dr Gauri RathodNodal officer, state human organ transplant programme
