Prisoners in Kerala may soon be able to donate organs

A recent order of the Kerala High Court that criminal background of a person should not be a bar on voluntary organ donation could be a fillip to a proposal of the Prisons Department of Kerala that prisoners shall be allowed to donate organs.

It was after a prisoner in Kannur district sought permission to voluntarily donate organ a few years back that the prison department looked into the matter.

Deputy Inspector General of Prisons S Santosh told DH that a proposal was already submitted to the Kerala government that prisoners shall be allowed to voluntarily donate organs.

It was only after a prisoner in Kannur district made a request a few years back that he be allowed to donate organs, that the prisons department gave a serious thought to the matter. A major concern that came up was the post transplant medical care of donor and their health conditions. After detailed deliberations, the prisons department recommended to the government that provisions shall be included in the prisons rules allowing prisoners to donate organs.

Meanwhile, the prisoner at Kannur who sought permission for organ donation was already released after his jail term ended.

The Kerala HC recently observed that criminal history of a person should not be a reason to reject request for organ transplant. The court order came on a petition filed by a Kollam native, challenging an order of the committee for organ transplant rejecting the request of an organ donor citing that he was involved in criminal case.

The HC order was hailed by those associated with organ donation. A doctor in a district committee on organ transplant said that the police only need to verify whether any sorts of trade is involved in the organ transplant. But most police reports on organ donors mention that the donor has no criminal background.

Known industrialist Kochouseph Chittilappilly, who is an organ donor and a campaigner of organ donation, said that criminal background of a persons should not be a reason to turn down a person's wish to donate organ as it was an act of charity and kindness.