Save lives – Donate your organs

The requirement of organs has never been greater due to the huge shortage of sufficient organ donors in India. More than half of million Indians are estimated to be in urgent need of organ transplantation!

In India every year approximately: • 200,000 people die due to liver disease.

• 500,000 people die because of the lack of donated organs.

• 150,000 people await a kidney transplant but only 5,000 out of themare fortunate enough to get one.

• 50,000 people die due to heart related disease.

• 1,000,000 lakh people await a cornea transplant as they are suffering from corneal blindness.

However, less than a thousand transplantation's from dead or deceased donors are carried out every year – an insignificant and incredibly small number in comparison with the statistics around the globe. While some people find living donors who will donate their organs to them. The rest are keeping waiting for their turn for transplants.

When a person took a pledge for organ donation, it means that after death, certain (or all) organs from the body can be utilized for transplantation to enable critically ill patients to get a new life. With ongoing advancement in the transplantation technique, people of all ages can donate their organs without any severe risk. Even in the past, there have been many organ donors who had taken the pledge for deceased organ donation when they were in their 80s and it was found out that their organs are effectively working after the transplantation. However, the procedure for the organs and tissue donation is carried out only after taking the required consent/approval of the deceased donor’s family. Even after getting permission by the deceased donor’s family, there are several tests conducted by the team of organ specialists to examine the medical condition of the donor’s organs.

Types of organ donation

Deceased Organ Donation: The patient who needs an organ has to register in a hospital that does organ transplants. Afterward, the patient will be put on a waiting list. When the organ from a deceased or dead donor is accessible, the patient will be informed.

Living Organ Donation: Living donation will take place when a living individual donates his/her organs for transplantation to someone else. The living donor can be a relative, for example, a parent, sibling, child, grandparent or grandchild. It can likewise come from someone who is emotionally related to the organ recipient, for example, a great companion, a relative, a neighbor or an in-law (living unrelated donation).

What organs can be donated?

Organs that can be donated include liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, pancreas, while tissue constitutes skin, bone, cornea, blood, eardrum, tendons, heart valves, etc.

How can I donate?

To be an organ donor, it is necessary to enlist by signing up and accepting the process of Organ Donation. One needs to fill a recommended consent form, which can either be downloaded from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) site or got to from the hospital. In the case of a donation from the deceased donor, a written consent form from the legal caretaker of the body after the demise of the patient is required in a prescribed application form.

Conclusion

There is a huge shortage of donated organs in our country; as a result, thousands of people died every year while waiting for their turn on the transplant waiting list. This problem is only resolved when the majority of people will come forward and take a pledge for organ donation after their death. Nothing is more virtuous than saving someone's life.

To pledge your organs, you can visit the website address of below mentioned NGOs.

1. Organ India

2. Shatayu

3. Gift a Life

4. Mohan Foundation

5. Gift your organ

I hope this article would enlighten you about the importance of organ donation. Thanks for reading!