For the 6th straight year, Tamil Nadu won the “best state award” for the organ donation from National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The 11th Indian Organ Donation Day was celebrated on Friday, and the virtual event was organised by the Union Health Ministry in New Delhi. Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan and Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey participated.
Tamil Nadu Health Minister C. Vijayabaskar participated in the event from Pudukottai, and Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan from the Directorate of Medical Services in Chennai.
Thanking Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami for his support to the organ donation programme, Vijayabaskar said, “The award is dedicated to the families of the organ donors, who even amid their grief and loss of their loved ones, came forward to donate.” He added that it is because of the hard work and efforts put in by the transplant surgeons, the State transplant authority (TRANSTAN) and others, that the State has been able to bag the top spot for the past six years.
“Even during the pandemic, the State did a total of 183 live renal transplants and about 107 liver transplants. Tamil Nadu stands first not only in cadaver organ donation, but also plasma and blood donations,” the minister said, adding that air ambulances too will be launched soon for the purpose and works towards that have been expedited. The Union Minister also praised the State for performing six lung transplants on those patients whose lungs were completely damaged due to Covid-19, said Vijayabaskar.
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