Brain transplant in Nepal

We are excited to share with you that our parliament has passed the amendment of Transplant Act 2072. This amendment opens the door for brain death donation, pair exchange and a wide expansion of list of live organ donor pool. This act will tremendously increase access to those who would otherwise die within a few months of organ failure and will contribute to minimizae gender biasness. Among the new provisions is brain death organ donation, which can be a source of at least 8 major organs such as two kidneys, two lungs, one liver, one heart, one pancreas, one small intestine, two corneas and other organs and tissues. Thus, this act opens up the possibility of other types of organ transplantation. This has been possible because of the continuous effort of Dr. Pukar C. Shrestha (Executive Director, HOTC) who has been working tirelessly with parliamentarians, government officials and clinicians since he came back from the UK seven years ago. However, his efforts have not been solitary. Over the years, many people from all walks of life have joined hands with him to help developed the kidney healthcare sector of Nepal. Since creation and passing of this transplant act was no easy feat, we would like to acknowledge the people who were involved in many different parts of the process of bringing forth the Transplant Act 2072. Aarogya Foundation, a non-profit organization established by Ani Choying Drolma and Dr. Pukar Shrestha, has been an important player in helping increase access to kidney healthcare services in Nepal. Aarogya had organized many events to raise awareness about this issue of organ donation and transplantation through kidney walks, transplant games, organ donation workshops, and health camps every year in different parts of the country. Aarogya members Nabina Shrestha, Kul Chandra Gautam, Sudarshan Pandey, Madan Krishna Shrestha, Haribamsha Acharya, Dr. Bimal Thapa and Kush Kumar Joshi have made equally important contribution from their sides.