New Delhi, Dec 15 (FN Bureau) The Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (K-SOTTO) has set up a dedicated stall at the 29th International Film Festival of Kerala (IFFK) to promote its flagship organ donation campaign, Mridhasanjeevani. The campaign, with the motto “Let us hold hands towards life through organ donation,” aims to create awareness about the significance of organ donation and educate the public on its procedures. As a part of the project, ‘Jeevanekam Jeevanakam’ a state-level social media campaign of K-SOTTO, to promote organ donation in the state was inaugurated by Minister Veena George at District hospital Ernakulam on December 1. Post-mortem organ donation involves retrieving organs from brain-dead patients for life-saving transplants. Brain death, which occurs due to irreversible damage to the brainstem, is legally and medically recognized as death. While the respiratory and circulatory systems may be temporarily supported by ventilators, brain-dead patients cannot regain consciousness. The confirmation of brain death follows a structured process involving clinical examinations and evaluations by a medical board comprising specialists, including neurologists and doctors.
Even if an individual has pledged to donate organs, consent from their next of kin is mandatory for post-mortem donation. Organ donation in Kerala is regulated under the Human Organs and Tissue (Transplantation) Act, 1994, and its 2014 amendments. K-SOTTO, established by the government in 2021, ensures adherence to these laws, safeguards the rights of donors and recipients, and monitors transplant centres. The process involves mandatory tests to confirm brain death, obtaining family consent in the presence of witnesses, and informing K-SOTTO for organ allocation. In cases of accidental or unnatural death, police clearance is required before organ retrieval can proceed. Visitors to the K-SOTTO stall at Tagore can gain a comprehensive understanding of these processes, clarify doubts about organ donation, and pledge to become donors. K-SOTTO also provides a grievance redressal mechanism for complaints or queries related to organ donation.