Rapid Fire
Cadaver Donation in India
- 14 Oct 2024
- 2 min read
A recent study indicates that the increase in medical colleges has led to a higher demand for cadavers, prompting these institutions to increasingly rely on unclaimed bodies for medical education due to a shortage of cadaver donations in India.
- About: Cadaver donation involves donating the entire body to science after death, primarily to help train doctors in understanding human anatomy and practising surgery.
- Eligibility: Anyone above 18 years can legally consent to donate their body. In case of no prior consent, next of kin can donate.
- Exclusions: Bodies of organ donors or those with infectious diseases like tuberculosis, HIV, or sepsis, and bodies involved in medico-legal cases may be rejected.
- Unclaimed Bodies: Colleges use unclaimed bodies under the state’s Anatomy Act, where relatives must claim the body within 48 hours.
- Unclaimed bodies often belong to marginalised or poor individuals, raising ethical questions about consent.
- Unlike organ donations, there is no national organisation to monitor whole-body donations. Typically, this responsibility falls directly to the anatomy departments of medical colleges.
- The National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization, under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, manages organ transplantation from deceased donors.
Read more: State of Medical Education in India
