SKOCH award for Raj organ transplant organisation

Jaipur: The country’s prestigious SKOCH award for 2023 was on Friday conferred on State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) of Rajasthan.
SOTTO, which functions under the state medical education department, received the SKOCH Gold Award for health sector for promoting and creating awareness about organ donation and ensuring implementation of organ transplantation programmes.
SOTTO was established at SMS Medical College in 2019.
The principal secretary of medical education department, T Ravikant, said so far 95 kidneys, 45 livers and 27 hearts have been donated by the relatives of 51 brain-dead persons.
Transplantations of one pancreas, 14 corneas and two heart valves have been done, he added.
“The aim of SOTTO Rajasthan is to make cadaver organ donation and transplant programmes stronger in all hospitals of the state by preparing a pool of trained doctors. Work is on to develop all hospitals attached to medical colleges as organ retrieval centres,” said SOTTO chairman Dr Sudhir Bhandari.