Historical Background
Nowadays organ transplantation technologies provide otherwise terminal patients with an alternative to enable them to start living their life anew. Unfortunately, a major obstacle regarding this means of treatment is acquiring organ tissue. Organ tissue acquisitions from dead donors have several limitations due to lack of understanding among both medical practitioners themselves and the public. Another problem involves coordination among agencies concerning organ donation and organ transplantation. All together, these obstacles account for a serious organ shortage.

On March 14, 1988, the Thai Red Cross Organ Donation Center was initiated by the Thai Red Cross Soceity, an independent non-profit organization, and the Committee for the Feasibility Study of the Organ Donation Center's Initiation was appointed. After a series of conferences with medical doctors from various institutions both in the government and private sectors, the Committee issued an order, dated July 23, 1990, to have the Thai Red Cross Organ Donation Center report to the Central Bureau. Nevertheless, owing to certain difficulties, it was not possible to actually open the Center for business.

In 1993, which marked the 100th anniversary of the Thai Red Cross Society, the Thai Red Cross Organ Donation Center was formally set up by the Thai Red Cross Society. The appointment of the Center's Board of Directors took place on November 30, 1993, with Police General Pao Sarasin as the Chair. The office of the Center, located on the 2nd floor of the Red Cross Volunteers Division Building, was officially opened on February 1, 1994.

Objectives
Objectives of the Thai Red Cross Organ Donation Center     
1. To serve as a place where prospective organ donors can be registered, while they are alive, to have their relatives arrange for the member hospitals to acquire the organ tissue upon their death.     
2. To coordinate among hospitals where donor patients die.     
3. To serve as a place where prospective recipients nationwide can be registered.     
4. To allocate donated organ tissue in a fair and academically sound manner.     
5. To examine tissue compatability for transplants and other laboraory examinations.     
6. To serve as a public relations center providing news and information about organ donations to medical practitioners and related professionals as well as the public.     
7. To contact organ donation centers in neighboring countries on behalf of recipients, and to represent Thailand in future organ tissue exchange programs.     

Policies
- To encourage more people to donate organs so as to meet the need among prospective recipients     
- To allocate organ tissue in a fair manner, and to prevent organ purchases.     
- To make the best use of donated organ tissue.     

Responsibilities
Support and encourage more organ donations by disseminating knowledge about successful organ transplants, brain death, organ donation procedures, and organ tissue shortage among medical practitioners and the public.     
Attend to donor registration.     
Attend to recipient registration.     
Allocate organ tissue in a fair and academically sound manner.     
Coordinate with hospitals where patients suffer brain death and hospitals where prospective recipients are on the waiting list, arranging transportation for the team of transplant surgeons and for the organ tissue.     
Give necessary assistance to the dead donor's relatives, submitting a petition for the cremation fire from His Majesty the King if needed, and requesting Thai Red Cross honorary membership for the donor's successors.