The Department of Medical Education has sanctioned ₹1 crore to modernise existing facilities and set up an organ retrieval centre, coinciding with the 125th anniversary of Victoria Hospital.
The organ retrieval centre is expected to become operational within the next four to six months, according to Sharan Prakash Patil, Minister for Medical Education.
Functioning as a dedicated unit for collecting organs, the centre will provide comprehensive services, including ICU facilities, an operation theater, a laboratory, and advanced diagnostic capabilities.
“The centre will play a crucial role in streamlining organ procurement for transplants,” the Minister stated in a press release on Monday.
“For effective organ donation, identifying potential donors, ensuring safe procedures, conducting family counseling, providing advanced ICU care and adhering to legal frameworks are critical. Adequate funding has been allocated for the centre’s holistic development. This initiative is highly meaningful and will benefit economically disadvantaged patients,” noted Dr. Patil.
“The establishment of an integrated organ retrieval centre at Victoria Hospital will help scale up the organ donation programme, benefiting underprivileged patients,” said Deepak, medical superintendent of Victoria Hospital.
“The centre will have dedicated staff, ICUs, and beds. Once a family consents to organ donation, the patient will be transferred from ICUs to the designated facility,” he added. Additionally, to facilitate smooth organ transport, a helipad is being constructed at Victoria Hospital.
Victoria Hospital, already home to a trauma and emergency care centre, the Institute of Gastroenterology and Urology Transplantation, the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology at Minto Hospital and a Skin Bank, is one of South India’s largest medical institutions. The addition of this new organ retrieval centre will further strengthen its capabilities, the release added.
Published – March 31, 2025 09:01 pm IST
