Health ministry report bats for liver and heart transplants under PMJAY
This assumes importance given that health insurance schemes in the country cover life and disability, but not organ donation.
Also Read | Why are men ignoring their hormonal health?
The recommendation comes in a report, titled the National Review Meeting on Organ Transplantation Activities in Government Hospitals, prepared by the National Organ Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO), a top body which manages organ transplantation, under the health ministry.
The call for expanding insurance coverage comes in the backdrop of the low number of organ transplants performed in India. Mint has seen a copy of the report, which has been submitted to health ministry.
Also Read | Want glowing skin? Take care of your mental health
AB PM-JAY is the world's largest health insurance scheme, providing health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year. Notably, the scheme's ambit has been expanded to include free treatment benefits of up to ₹5 lakh per year to senior citizens aged 70 years and above.
Earlier this month, a nationwide review meeting was conducted on organ transplants in government hospitals by a group of top government experts to identify bottlenecks in the system and formulate a roadmap for improvement.
The report underlined that government institutions have inadequate capacities and that new centres are required to be established and made functional. It emphasized the need for a multi-pronged strategy involving policy changes, financial investment, and capacity building to bridge the demand-supply gap in organ transplantation.
Also Read | ₹1-crore health cover is fast becoming a necessity. But how to afford one?
The report highlighted a huge gap between demand and supply: while India requires at least 100,000 kidney transplants per year, only 13,476 were performed in 2024 across both government and private centers.
'These recommendations aim to strengthen India's organ transplantation capabilities and make life-saving procedures more accessible to those in need. During the nationwide assessment of the government hospitals, we identified their challenges and suggested measures to improve their capabilities in terms of infrastructure, finance, manpower etc. We have submitted our report to the health ministry and now the ministry will take action on these recommendations," said Dr. Anil Kumar, director, NOTTO.
One of the key recommendations is to include comprehensive inclusion of liver and heart transplantation in national health schemes like PMJAY, he added.
'Some states like Maharashtra and Delhi have expanded their coverage under the PM-JAY scheme. So, the recommendation of the report to include liver and heart transplantation under PM-JAY may be considered to accelerate organ transplantation in the government institutions," he said.
Dr Anup Kumar, head of kidney transplant and urology department at Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi, said, ' It is a welcome move. PMJAY offers coverage of up to ₹5 lakh, but these are very expensive procedures require ₹20-25 lakh in the private sector. However, in government institutions these transplants can be done in ₹10 lakh. So, to cover these two transplants, the government has to also consider increasing the coverage plan of PMJAY from ₹5 lakh to at least ₹10 lakh."
Further, to bridge the critical demand-supply gap, the expert group has put forth several key recommendations, which include financial incentives for transplant teams, enhanced funding for infrastructure development, establishment of dedicated transplant centres and robust training programmes for medical personnel and transplant coordinators.
'We have tried to understand why government institutions are not able to do the maximum number of organ transplants and what are the solutions. Do we require to build new centres or strengthen the existing capacities. Some government centres like Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC) Ahmedabad conducted a total of 508 organ transplants in the last year, including 195 cadaveric transplants, PGIMER Chandigarh performed 320 organ transplants including 55 cadaveric transplants," Dr. Kumar said.
However, the report revealed that government institutions like GB Pant Hospital, New Delhi, despite having the physical infrastructure and licence, did not perform any organ transplants.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
PM hails Ayushman Bharat scheme's contribution to healthcare
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) has freed people from the habit of silently enduring illness and helped them get good healthcare. Addressing the nation on Independence Day, Modi said, "When we help senior citizens with more than Rs 5,00,000 for their health needs, it shows our concern for their well-being". He emphasised India's growing prowess in domestic pharmaceutical innovation and the urgent need to develop new medicines, vaccines and life-saving treatments entirely within India. Modi emphasised the need for research in order to come up with the cheapest and most effective medicines for the welfare of mankind, which in times of crisis can be useful for humanity without any side effects.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Obesity emerging as major challenge for India: PM Modi
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said obesity is emerging as a major challenge for the country, and everyone must contribute to this fight against the challenge. Addressing the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 79th Independence Day, he warned that according to experts, one in every three people will suffer from obesity in the coming years and reiterated his previous suggestion to buy 10 per cent less oil for cooking. "When I speak of fitness, when I speak of sports, I also wish to place before you a matter of concern. Obesity is becoming a very grave crisis for our nation, and every family in our country should take it seriously. We must protect ourselves from obesity. "Therefore, while many steps will have to be taken, I had made one small suggestion that every family should resolve that when cooking oil comes into the house, it should be 10 per cent less than usual and its usage should also be 10 per cent less," the prime minister said. Modi further said the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana has freed people from the habit of silently enduring illness and helped them get good healthcare. "When we help senior citizens with more than Rs 5,00,000 for their health needs, it shows our concern for their well-being". He emphasized India's growing prowess in domestic pharmaceutical innovation and the urgent need to develop new medicines, vaccines, and life-saving treatments entirely in India. Researchers and entrepreneurs were urged to secure patents for new drugs and medical technologies, ensuring that India not only meets its own healthcare needs but also becomes a global hub of medical self-reliance and innovation.
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Economic Times
Obesity emerging as major challenge for India: PM Modi
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the nation on Independence Day. He highlighted obesity as a growing national concern. He suggested families reduce cooking oil consumption by 10 percent. Modi also spoke about Ayushman Bharat Yojana aiding citizens' healthcare. He urged innovation in domestic pharmaceutical development. The focus is on creating new medicines and becoming a global hub for medical self-reliance. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said obesity is emerging as a major challenge for the country, and everyone must contribute to this fight against the the nation from the ramparts of the Red Fort on the 79th Independence Day, he warned that according to experts, one in every three people will suffer from obesity in the coming years and reiterated his previous suggestion to buy 10 per cent less oil for cooking."When I speak of fitness, when I speak of sports, I also wish to place before you a matter of concern. Obesity is becoming a very grave crisis for our nation, and every family in our country should take it seriously. We must protect ourselves from obesity."Therefore, while many steps will have to be taken, I had made one small suggestion that every family should resolve that when cooking oil comes into the house, it should be 10 per cent less than usual and its usage should also be 10 per cent less," the prime minister further said the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana has freed people from the habit of silently enduring illness and helped them get good healthcare. "When we help senior citizens with more than Rs 5,00,000 for their health needs, it shows our concern for their well-being".He emphasized India 's growing prowess in domestic pharmaceutical innovation and the urgent need to develop new medicines, vaccines, and life-saving treatments entirely in and entrepreneurs were urged to secure patents for new drugs and medical technologies, ensuring that India not only meets its own healthcare needs but also becomes a global hub of medical self-reliance and innovation.
