The Centre has announced that all government employees will be granted a total of 42 days of leave if they have donated an organ. The government is calling this a special casual leave and it is being granted after taking into account the time employees will take time to recover after a major surgery.
At present, the central government’s employees are allowed 30 days of special casual leaves.
The order states that these instructions will apply to central government employees appointed to the civil services and in the posts that are connected with the affairs of the Union of India in accordance with Rule 2 of the CCS (Leave) Rules, 1972, with effect from the date of issue.
"Organ removal from a donor is a major surgery, which requires time for recovery, including both hospitalisation and post-hospitalisation periods," read the Personnel Ministry’s order.
The government’s move, aimed at promoting organ donation in society, came into effect on April 25 and was announced via a memorandum of Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pension Department of Personnel and Training.
The holiday will be granted on the recommendation of a registered doctor only. According to the Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994, a donor will have to take the approval of a government-registered medical practitioner to donate his or her organ.
The leave for the purpose of surgery can be availed by the donor one week before the surgery. The donor can also take leaves in breaks if the doctor or registered government practitioner allows splitting leaves. This will depend on the type of surgery needed for the organ donation.
In case the surgery is conducted in a private hospital, a medical certificate duly signed by the authorised head of the department is needed.
