BODY DONATION IN INDIA

 INTRODUCTION

Recently, I heard of an incident where the body of a person who had got registered for body donation was not accepted by the concerned hospital, and the family had to make last minute arrangements  for cremating the body. This prompted me to research this topic in detail and to share the information I gathered, in the form of  a detailed post for furthering our understanding of the whole concept of body donation in India.

Body donation refers to the donation of the whole body after death for the purpose of medical research and education. It enables medical students and researchers to better understand the intricacies of the human body for the advancement of science.

WHO CAN DONATE THEIR BODY-

Almost anyone can become a whole body donor after death, irrespective of age, gender, caste, or religion. There is no upper age limit. Even those who are very ill could be eligible, since researchers may often require to study the bodies of donors who suffer from some specific disease or medical condition.

PRELIMINARY STEPS -

1) Identify the nearest hospital/medical college/NGO that will accept whole body donations. Only those hospitals that have been authorised by the State Govt. to  accept such donations can do so.

2) Contact the chosen hospital to understand their requirements, since each hospital may have their own set of rules and procedures.

3) Get registered under the voluntary body donation program. The registration forms are generally available online. Though registration is not mandatory, it will considerably smoothen the whole process.  

It is mandatory that the registration form (also called Willingness form) be signed in the presence of two legal witnesses.  Most hospitals may insist that atleast one of the witnesses be a next of kin/relative.

It is very important to discuss your intentions to be a body donor with your family, because they are the ones who will be responsible for executing your wishes.

4) Once the duly-filled up forms are submitted, the hospital will provide the following documents -

a) Acknowledgement letter

b) Certificate of honour for the service being rendered to the community

c) The donor I-card having the registration number

d) Contact numbers that the next of kin can use to inform the hospital on the demise of the donor.

DOCUMENTS REQUIRED AT THE TIME OF BODY DONATION-

a) Most important document - Death certificate issued by a doctor (not to be confused with the death certificate issued by municipal authorities.)

b) The donor card

c) If not registered, the family will have to accompany the body and complete the required paper work.

d) Identification document of the deceased (Aadhaar card, Voter's ID or PAN card).

e) Identification document of the family member accompanying the body.

HANDING OVER THE BODY -

VERY IMPORTANT -

The hospital accepting the body donation will not issue a death certificate. 

PLEASE NOTE: If the body is taken to the hospital before obtaining a death certificate, then the body will be declared as "Dead on Arrival"and the hospital will be obliged to notify the police, who will insist on an autopsy, making the body unsuitable for body donation.

If the donor's death has happened in a hospital, then the attending physicians will issue a Doctor's death certificate. If the death occurs at home, then any medical doctor can issue the death certificate. It is necessary for the family to act fast and find a doctor quickly, as the body has to be transported to the hospital within six hours of the time of death.

 In some cases, the hospital will send a vehicle to transport the body. This facility will be extended even if death occurs in a  nearby place within a radius of 100 kms. If the body needs to be kept for upto 48 hrs. before donating, the mortuary facility available in hospitals can be used. 

In case death occurs in another city, the family can contact the hospital where the donor has registered, and they will be able to guide the family to the nearest hospital that is qualified to accept whole body donations, since most hospitals have a tie-up with other hospitals.

CERTAIN INSTANCES WHEN THE DONATION OF A BODY WILL BE REFUSED-

a) If the cause of death is not natural (eg:- murder, suicide etc.)and an autopsy is required.

b) If the hospital cannot retrieve the donor's body within three days of death

c) A whole organ donation has been done, the only exception being eye donation.

d) The deceased is severely overweight or emaciated

e) The deceased was suffering from an infectious disease

f) If the death involved severe trauma to multiple bones 

g) A hospital may also decline a body due to lack of storage space and need at that particular time.

AFTER HANDOVER OF THE BODY-

Once the body is handed over to the hospital, it will issue a "Body Receipt"document. This, along with the doctor's death certificate, will have to be handed over to the Municipal Corporation to obtain the final Municipal death certificate which is required by the legal heir for inheritance.

The hospital will usually hand over some of the hair of the deceased to the next of kin, to be used to perform the last rites.

In India, most hospitals use the bodies for long periods of time. After the initial use for teaching, sometimes the body may be buried so that the hospital can obtain a skeleton. In other cases, the body is cremated, but the ashes are not returned to the family.

NGOs and MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS THAT ACCEPT BODY DONATION -

I) TRIVANDRUM

Dr. Somervell Memorial C.S.I. Medical College and Hospital

Govt. Medical College and Hospital

Sree Gokulam Medical College Trust and Research Foundation

II - CHENNAI

ACS Medical College and Hospital

ESIC Medical College and PGIMSR

Govt. Stanley Medical College

Govt. Medical College - Omandurar

Kilpauk Medical College

Madras Medical College

Sri Muthukumaran Medical College

Sri Ramachandra Medical College and Hospital

Tagore Medical College and Hospital

III- BANGALORE

MVJ Medical College and Research Hospital

Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute

Dr. B.R.Ambedkar Medical College

ESIC Medical College

Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences

Rajarajeshwari Medical College and Hospital

Ramaiah Medical College

Sapthagiri Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre

St. John's Medical College Hospital

The Oxford Medical College Hospital and Research Centre

Vydehi Institute of Medical Sciences and Research Centre

Zonal Co-ordination Committee of Karnataka for Transplantation (ZCCK)

IV - HYDERABAD

Deccan College of Medical Sciences

Malla Reddy Institute of Medical Sciences

Mediciti Institute of Medical Sciences

Osmania Medical College

Shadan Institute of Medical Sciences and Teaching Hospital and Research Centre

V -MUMBAI

Dadichi Mission - Borivali

Grant Govt. Medical College and Sir JJ Group of Hospitals

HBT Medical College and Dr. RN Cooper Municipal General Hospital

KJ Somaiya Medical College and Research Centre

Lokmanya Tilak Municipal Medical College

Manav Jyot Charitable Trust

Seth GS Medical College

Topiwala National Medical College and BYL Nair Charitable Hospital

VI- KOLKATA

Calcutta National Medical College

College of Medicine and Sagore Dutta Hospital

ESIC Medical College and Hospital

KPC Medical College

Nilratan Sircar Medical College

RG Kar Medical College and Hospital

VII- DELHI_- NCR

Vardhman Mahavir Medical College

Safdarjung Hospital

Army College of Medical Sciences

AIIMS Dept. of Anatomy

University College of Medical Sciences (UCMS)

Maulana Azad Medical College (MAMC)

Lady Hardinge Medical College

Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar Medical College

Dadhichi Deh Dan Samiti