Why is it in the News?

Each organ transplant case will receive a distinctive National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) ID assigned to both the donor and the recipient.

Highlights of the News:

• The Union Health Ministry has mandated the cessation of commercial organ transactions, particularly those involving foreign nationals, and emphasized the need for stringent oversight by local authorities.
• For deceased donor transplants, a NOTTO-ID is required for organ allocation, while in living donor transplants, the ID must be generated within 48 hours post-surgery through the NOTTO website by the hospital.

What is the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO)?

• NOTTO is a national organization established under the Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India.

It serves as the central coordinating hub for:

• Organ and tissue procurement and distribution.
• Maintaining a registry of organ and tissue donation and transplantation activities across the country.

NOTTO comprises two divisions:

• National Human Organ and Tissue Removal and Storage Network:
  • Acts as the primary center for nationwide coordination of organ and tissue procurement, distribution, and registry.
  • Established in accordance with the Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act 2011.
• National Biomaterial Centre (National Tissue Bank):
  • This center focuses on filling the gap between demand and supply while ensuring quality assurance in tissue availability.
  • The Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act 2011 has expanded NOTTO's scope to include tissue donation and registration of tissue banks.

Activities performed by NOTTO include:

• • Coordinating tissue procurement and distribution
  • Donor tissue screening
  • Tissue removal and storage
  • Tissue preservation
  • Laboratory screening of tissues
  • Tissue tracking
  • Sterilization
  • Record maintenance
  • Data protection and confidentiality
  • Quality management in tissues
  • Patient information on tissues
  • Developing guidelines, protocols, and standard operating procedures
  • Training and assistance in registering other tissue banks