The Tamil Nadu model of healthcare delivery system is the best prototype in the resource-limited settings of the country and was worthy of emulation by other States, Governor Banwarilal Purohit said here on Saturday.
Launching the ‘Pledge for Life’, an organ donation initiative of the Kauvery Hospital in Tiruchi, he said that the State ranked first in the country in child immunisation programmes. It had been recognised as a leading State for organ transplantation and its cadaver transplant programme had been judged the best in the country.
While transplantations were done free of cost in government hospitals, patients, who got treatment in private hospitals, were covered under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme. About 5,000 organ transplantations were done till December 2016 over the last eight years.
He said a well coordinated system had been instituted under the Tamil Nadu Cadaver Transplant programme from harvesting till transplantation of organs. It had contributed significantly to the State’s dramatic turnaround in organ transplantation.
The healthcare system had many positives to be emulated by other States.
Citing a national statistic, the Governor said that 5 lakh people died due to non-availability of organs and over one lakh died due to liver disease every year.
But, the percentage of people, who received organs, was just a minuscule. There were number of areas on which the health sector could concentrate to maximize the potential supply of organs to match them up electively with potential recipients.
Mr. Purohit said that there was a need to change the attitude on organ donation, both at individual and organisational levels.
“There will come a time when organ donation becomes the norm so as to match the demand. There is a need to encourage the citizens to share their views and wishes on organ donation with their loved ones,” he added.
Lauding the Kauvery Hospital for the organ donation initiative, the Governor said many more hospitals would follow suit.
C. Vijaya Baskar, Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Vellamandi N. Natarajan, Minister for Tourism, S. Valarmathi, Minister for Backward Classes, S. Chandrakumar, Managing Director, S. Manivannan, Joint Managing Director and D. Senguttuvan, Executive Director, Kauvery hospital, participated.
