TRAINING

Our experience of setting up India's first multi-tissue bank, inclusive of its design, protocols and clinical applications, constitutes part of the IAEA Multi-media Distance Learning Package, the first of its kind for tissue bank operators, managers and doctors, introduced in 1997. Additionally, assistance in the form of hands-on training, consultation and project proposals is provided for setting up tissue banks and/or tissue retrieval centres in different parts of the country. Presently TMH has helped/is helping establish such facilities at Government hospitals in Jodhpur, Chennai, Mumbai and Nasik.

As part of its commitment to create professional awareness about quality assurance, promote the establishment of more tissue banks, and facilitate the formulation of national standards and regulations, in 2006 the Tissue Bank conducted the 11th International Conference of the Asia Pacific Association of Surgical Tissue Banks with the theme: “Issues on Tissues”. This was the first time that this multidisciplinary conference was held in India, and it attracted 161 delegates from different parts of India and 51 international delegates.

Public and professional awareness programmes to promote tissue donation also form an intrinsic part of the Tissue Bank activities since the number of grafts produced is directly related to the donor pool.