Oct 26, celebrated as Organ Donation & Transplantation Day

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This year, 26^th October is being celebrated as the 2^nd World Organ Donation and Transplantation Day, and transplant surgeons, across India, have come together to celebrate the quality of life in transplant recipients. A person can save the lives of 37 people, as he can donate 37 different organs including critical organs such as kidneys, heart, liver and lungs after he gives his consent to donate his organs after brain death. However, the number of transplants performed in India from cadaver sources is abysmally low - only 524 renal, 40 liver and 30 heart transplants, and this issue needs to be addressed.

 

According to Urologist & Transplant Surgeon, Dr Vatsala Trivedi, currently Secretary of Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC Mumbai), "With human-to-human organ transplantation becoming a treatment of choice, it essential for the masses to know about the benefits of organ donation and transplantation. Today, India needs a well-networked national body for organ donation and transplantation.  At this stage, we also require a large scale public awareness campaign in order to increase organ donation and transplantation in India."

 

According to Dr. L K Jha, Senior Consultant, Department of Nephrology, Batra Hospital, New Delhi, "Awareness plays a critical role in organ donation. Statistics indicate that cadaveric transplants are higher in the US as compared to India because people are more aware and therefore are willing to share their organs. However in India it is lagging behind even after being a country with a population of over 1 billion people in terms of implementation of a cadaveric organ donation programme."

 

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Sunil Shroff of Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network, Chennai (MOHAN), says, "Annually, around 60 cadaver transplants take place in India. That's about .01 per million population, whereas Spain has the highest with 35 per million people. Understanding the concept of brain death is an important factor that influences a family's decision to donate organs for transplantation. Donation of all organs is possible provided the family provides consent to donate. These preparations have been made legitimate and present no ethical barrier." 

On the World Organ Donation and Transplantation day, Indian doctors would like to emphasise that organ donation is an altruistic deed that helps to alleviate the suffering of patients in need of an organ transplant. 

Sourced From :Imprimis Life PR