PUNE: Doctors and social workers in Pune on Monday decided to make a concerted effort to create public awareness for cadaver organ transplants.

Despite the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, which eliminates all technical barriers to cadaver organ transplant, the scene in Pune remains as primitive as before, mainly because of a lack of public awareness and poor social network.

Most participants at the workshop organised by the Chennai-based Mohan Foundation — a voluntary organisation working in the field of cadaver organ transplants — at the King Edward memorial hospital, admitted that the poor response to cadaver organ transplants is also due to the lack of infrastructure and the typical Indian mindset.

Cadaver transplants are carried out on brain-dead people and require a very high degree of medical care to keep the internal organs working.

According to Lalitha Raghuram from Mohan Foundation, one brain-dead body means six lives saved, providing replacements for the kidney, heart, liver, pancreas, lungs, blood vessels and even skin and bones. "The lack of co-ordination between medical-social workers and doctors is also responsible for such transplants not gaining currency," she said, stressing the need to have a better network between the two.

Attended by medical-social workers from prominent hospitals like KEM, Ruby Hall Clinic, Jehangir and Lokmanya, besides doctors, the participants unanimously said that a beginning would have to be made.

"These will be done at three levels," Raghuram explained, adding that, apart from creating public awareness, steps will also be taken to pool resources from all major hospitals.

"Moreover, steps will also be taken to liaison with the government for the required clearances," she said.

Nephrologist A.G. Huprikar, who has been involved in a few kidney transplants from cadavers, said steps should be taken to involve the religious community heads to encourage more people to come forward to donate their organs. Another nephrologist,Valentine Lobo, suggested the formation of a committee whose members can go to other non-approved hospitals to retrieve organs from brain-dead patients