City NGO urges UN to strengthen cadaver organ donation

Jaipur: Suggestions by Sindhi Adhikar Manch, a Jaipur-based NGO with UN special consultative status, on prioritising cadaver organ donation through stronger policies were circulated in the UN General Assembly Thursday in line with Economic and Social Council resolution 1996/31. The NGO's suggestions included mandatory identification and referral of potential deceased donors, investment in critical care infrastructure and trained transplant coordination units in major hospitals, transparent and equitable digital organ allocation with independent oversight, inclusion of transplantation within Universal Health Coverage to ensure affordability and non-discrimination, sustained public awareness campaigns involving community and religious leaders, strict monitoring to prevent organ trafficking and ensure ethical compliance with WHO Guiding Principles, and adoption of an opt-out system to increase organ donation rates.The NGO's founder, Gobind Gurbani, said, "We have special consultative status from Economic and Social Council UNO New York since 2016. For last three years we have being raising the issue of cadaver organ donation at UN Human Right Council sessions in Geneva."
The NGO argued that the issue required a human rights-based public health response. It said reforms should reduce disparities, protect vulnerable groups from exploitation, and ensure fair access to organs and transplant services.The submission outlined current shortcomings, identified related human rights concerns, and provided recommendations aligned with international standards to guide countries.