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DownToEarth

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Context

• At the 77th World Health Assembly, member states approved a draft resolution aimed at enhancing the availability of organ transplantation, including human cells and tissues.
• This initiative seeks to address disparities in access to transplantation services globally and to promote equitable healthcare solutions.

Details

Key Aspects of the Resolution

Development of a Global Strategy:

• Countries are tasked with formulating a global strategy for organ transplantation, to be presented for adoption in 2026.
• The strategy will be developed with input from an expert committee established under the WHO’s Regulations for Expert Advisory Panels and Committees.

Establishment of World Donor Day:

• The resolution encourages the establishment of a World Donor Day to raise public awareness about organ donation and to promote donations.

Addressing Inequities:

• Despite progress over the past two decades, significant inequities in access to transplantation persist among member countries.
• The resolution emphasizes the need to increase the availability of human cells, tissues, and organs for transplantation, particularly through the development of deceased donation.

Encouragement of Different Types of Donation:

• The resolution encourages donations after the neurological determination of death and, where appropriate, after the circulatory determination of death.

Integration into Healthcare Systems:

• Member states are committed to integrating organ transplantation into their healthcare systems and to considering deceased donation as a routine practice.
• Efforts to prevent the exploitation of living donors and to provide adequate follow-up care are also emphasized.

Current Challenges

• According to the Union health ministry, organ donations in India increased to 16,041 in 2022 from 4,990 in 2013.
• The demand for kidney transplants in India is particularly pressing, with an annual need for 200,000 transplants far outstripping the supply.
• WHO data from the Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation indicates that more than 150,000 solid organ transplants were performed worldwide in 2022, representing less than 10% of global needs but a 52% increase compared to 2010.
• The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound negative effect on donation and transplantation activities, highlighting the need for resilient healthcare systems
• Insufficient access to transplantation therapies is a root cause of trafficking in persons for organ removal and trafficking in human organs, which pose serious public health risks and undermine human rights.

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Sources:

DownToEarth

PRACTICE QUESTION Q.  The draft resolution approved by the World Health Assembly represents a significant step towards addressing the global disparities in organ transplantation. Discuss. (250 Words)