In deceased donation in India there are occasionally unusual donations that happen and one such donation is when a foreign national becomes brain dead and the family wishes to donate the organs of their family member.  There have been a few such instances in the country which were handled partly by the transplant coordinators from MOHAN Foundation. With no clear-cut protocols these donations sometimes can become quite daunting and time consuming with uncertainty about their outcome.

In the first such donation that happened way back in 1998, the family members actually travelled to India from the USA when the donor families were being honoured at a function held in Chennai in October 1999.[5] In the second such donation by a lady from France (where they follow the presumed consent law) despite the language issue the donation went through.[6] And in a third donation in Mumbai, a donor family from Nepal decided to donate. Nepal is a neighbouring country however the complexity was similar with multiple permissions required including the embassy. Equally complex and challenging is the transfer of body after donation and this requires multiple clearances. The unclear and long-drawn-out procedures can put off families from donating. There are no easy solutions but like post-mortem procedures, foreign national donations require simplification and a clearly laid out procedure too. 

References

5. Navin S, Shroff S. HONOURING ORGAN DONOR FAMILIES. Indian Transplant Newsletter. Vol. II Issue: 5 (February 2000); Available at:http://www.itnnews.co.in/indian-transplant-newsletter/issue5/HONOURING-ORGAN-DONOR-FAMILIES-125.htm    [Last accessed on 2019 October 25]

6. www.mohanfoundation.org. India: Donor Memorial: Donor Memorial of Marie Therese Hampart Zoumain. Available at:https://www.mohanfoundation.org/donor-memorial/donor-profile.asp?tid=57 [Last accessed on 2019 October 25]