State Organization of Tissue and Transplantation Organization (SOTTO) of Gujarat rolled out the “Gujarat Model” recently which brought about the biggest change in the manner of distribution of organs retrieved within the state. According to the model, the organs will be distributed in a 60:40 ratio between government and private hospitals respectively. Government hospitals will have the first right over organs if brain death is declared in their set up. Such organs if not utilised by the government hospitals, will be handed over to the common pool to be used by private hospitals which are identified as Organ and Tissue Retrieval Hospital (OTRH) or Transplant Hospital (OTTH). A 9-member board lead by the in-charge of Cadaver Organ Transplant Programme, with members from various NGOs and lawyers, will decide who gets the organs as well as carry out regular inspections of the website formed by Gujarat Network for Cadaver Organ Sharing (GNCOS). The organs will be retrieved only from persons declared brain dead by a panel headed by a neurologist/neurosurgeon and after due consent of the family.
