Bhubaneswar: In a novel move to encourage people to come forward for organ donation to save precious lives, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik today announced that the organ donors’ last rites will be performed with full State Honors as a token of recognition.
The State Government will also give Rs 5 lakh from the Chief Minister’s fund to the relatives of the organ donors.
The Chief Minister hoped that recognition of organ donation would help create a positive and widespread awareness among people. It will also inspire many in our society to donate their organs and save the lives of others.
To facilitate the process of organ donation, the Odisha Government in 2019 had set up the ‘State Organ & Tissues Transplant Organisation’ and instituted the Suraj Award for organ donors in 2020.
The award was named after a deceased accident victim named Suraj, who belonged to Bhanjanagar of Ganjam district. After the victim became brain-dead in a fatal road mishap, his family consented to donate his organs. The youth could save the lives of at least six persons through cadaver organ donation.
The Chief Minister also honours the next of kin of organ donors on World Organ Donation Day on August 13 every year.
Meanwhile, the State Government has announced a special allowance of Rs 5,000 per month for ambulance drivers and emergency medical technicians and Rs 3,000 per month for helpers.
The 108 ambulance crew members will receive the monthly special allowance from this month in addition to their existing basic salary.
Recently, the ambulance crew had submitted representations to the 5T and Nabin Odisha Chairman V K Pandian during his district visits, for increase in remuneration.
