Health Ministry doubles incentive for organ donations

Kathmandu, Nov 24: The Ministry of Health and Population has decided to award Rs 200 thousand each to a family of those donating organs posthumously.     

Earlier, the family of a donor would get Rs 100 thousands from the Bhaktapur-based Human Organ Transplant Centre. On Sunday, Home Minister Pradip Paudel decided to double the amount.     

In addition, hospitals facilitating organ donations will now receive Rs 75,000, an increase from the previous Rs 50,000. The Finance Ministry has approved the increase through internal resource management, according to the Ministry.     

The Human Organ Transplant Centre states that each year, it handles around 1,000 kidney and 55 liver transplant requests. It performs 200 kidney transplants and 20 liver transplants annually, accounting for about 70 percent of the country's total transplants.     

Organ donation post-death is legal in Nepal. Other health facilities such as Bir Hospital, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH), Maharajgunj, and several private hospitals provide organ transplant services in the country.(RSS)