The Tamil Nadu- Dr. MGR University with Dr. K. Anandakannan, the Vice Chancellor, at its helm has restarted efforts to get the Central Organ Registry going. First time round, the registry failed to take off but hopes are high this time. The registry will be modelled along the lines of that used in the U.S.A and will have inputs from the University of South Carolina. The registry will record the total number of people in need of transplant and the success rates of cadaver transplant surgeries. It will also be involved in the propagation and promotion of organ donation.

The organ registry will have a group of grief counsellors who will make the request for organs. A core group will be trained at the University of South Carolina.

According to Dr. Ananda Kannan, 79 deaths occur in the city everyday. It may appear that organ retrieval is possible in about 35 but after checking for viability of organs only about one percent are found to have viable organs. “Cadaver transplant, if properly promoted, can replace live organ donation and the problems associated with it,” he says.

The registry will be set up at a cost of Rs.10 lakhs in the Department of Transfusion Medical at the University. The Government of Tamil Nadu has agreed in principle that the University will run the registry in co-ordination with the directorates of medical service and education. Dr. Anandakannan feels that setting up the registry in the university will remove all doubts from the public’s mind about vested interests. If a registry is set up in a hospital, it could be accused of having some sort of stake in it.