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Organ Donation Week 2022 – ‘Take the Pledge to Save Lives’

Organ Donation Week 2022 – ‘Take the Pledge to Save Lives’

by Dr. Jayashree on Aug 12 2022 4:57 PM
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Highlights:
  • Hundreds of people die each day waiting for an organ transplant
  • The lack of understanding about the organ donation procedure is the main cause of this scarcity
  • On the occasion of World Organ Donation Week 2022, let’s pledge to donate organs and save lives
World Organ Donation Week is celebrated in 2nd week of August every year to raise awareness about the necessity of organ donation and to encourage people to donate organs after death. Donating an organ is a life-saving gift. This week inspires people to commit to the noblest act of humankind (1 Trusted Source
Organ Donation Day

Go to source
).

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What is Organ Donation?

Organ donation is the process of giving a healthy organ or tissue to a person who has a failing or damaged organ through a surgical procedure of transplantation. Donations can be made by both living people and after one is deceased. It is done with the consent of the donor while alive or after death along with the consent of the next of kin (2 Trusted Source
Organ Donation

Go to source
).
A deceased person can donate two kidneys, two lungs, heart, liver, intestine, pancreas and save up to 8 lives. They can also donate tissues such as hand, heart valves, cornea, skin, bone/cartilage, and blood vessels and enhance over 50 lives. One can literally recycle one’s body through donation.

What can a Living Person Donate?

: A living person can only donate one kidney, one portion of the liver, and a portion of the pancreas.

The whole procedure follows the Transplantation of Human Organ Act (THOA) of 1994, which covers all medico-legal aspects of organ/tissue transplantation and makes the buying and sale of organs illegal.

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Facts About Organ Donation

  • Anyone can be an organ donor irrespective of age, caste, religion, or group (3 Trusted Source
    Organ Donation Statistics

    Go to source
    , 4 Trusted Source
    Understanding Organ Donation

    Go to source
    ).
  • 1 organ donor can save 8 lives and enhance 50 more.
  • Tissues like the hand, cornea, heart valves, skin, and bone can be donated after natural death, but essential organs like the heart, liver, kidneys, intestines, lungs, and pancreas can only be donated after ’brain dead’ (5 Trusted Source
    National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO)

    Go to source
    ).
  • Organs such as the heart, pancreas, liver, kidneys and lungs can be transplanted to patients whose organs are failing, allowing many of them to return to a normal life.
  • To be a potential organ donor, anyone under the age of 18 must obtain the permission of a parent or guardian.
  • Last rites can be performed without any visible deformity in organ donors.
  • Donors and their families are treated with the utmost care, respect and dignity throughout the process.

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Importance of Organ Donation Week

Millions of people who are affected by organ failure die while waiting for transplants because of the scarcity and fear around the idea of organ donation. The lack of information about how to donate organs after one’s death and misconceptions around organ donation stops many families from donating (4 Trusted Source
Understanding Organ Donation

Go to source
).

Thus, raising public awareness of organ donation is very important and Organ Donation week aims to create awareness amongst people on how to safely donate organs.

Learn More About Organ Transplantation By Numbers

  • India has a rate of 0.6 persons as organ donors per million population whereas countries like Spain have almost 50 per million donation rate.
  • Brain deaths happens only in 3% to 4% deaths hence only 3 to 4 in 1,000 can donate all organs.
  • Almost every minute someone is added to the transplant waiting list somewhere in the world.
  • In the U.S., 90% of adults support organ donation but only 60% are signed up as donors.
  • In India the national register has almost 30,000 people on the waiting list for either a kidney, liver, lungs, or heart.
  • The majority of organ failures in India do not get any care due to lack of access and financial constraints.
  • In India, you can now pledge for organ donation through the driving license.

How to become an Organ Donor?

There are two ways to donate organs, either by committing to organ donation while a person is still living or by committing to organ donation with the family’s consent after death.

Here are some basic steps to becoming a donor.

A person can pledge for organ donation at any time during their life by filling out a donor form which can be received either in person or online or by mail:
  • Step 1: Get the donor form from any official website (https://www.mohanfoundation.org/donorcard.asp).
  • Step 2: Fill out the “Organ/Body Donation” form after downloading it.
  • Step 3: Print the “Donor Card” and keep in your wallet.
  • Step 4: Speak to your next of kin or family about your wishes.
Speak to your friends and spread the message about this noble cause. If a person dies without registering and is eligible to donate, their organs can be donated by the person’s relatives. The sole requirement for this contribution is that they sign a consent form, which is provided at the time. The body of the deceased is respectfully returned to the family.

As Khalil Gibran said, “You give but little when you give of your possessions, you truly give when you give of yourself.”

Donating an organ is a noble act that gives another person a new lease and a second chance in life. Do remember by donating organs you too have extended your own life. After all, once the end comes our body is either cremated or buried, so why not just donate what can be used by others.

So during this Organ Donation Week, try to register yourself as an organ donor and motivate others to help spread awareness about this divine gesture.

“Heaven will accept you even without your organs! Donate them!”

References:
  1. Organ Donation Day - (https://www.nhp.gov.in/Organ-Donation-Day_pg)
  2. Organ Donation - (https://www.organdonation.nhs.uk/)
  3. Organ Donation Statistics - (https://www.organdonor.gov/learn/organ-donation-statistics)
  4. Understanding Organ Donation - (https://organdonationday.timestream.in/assets/brochure/OrganDonation_Brochure_2021_English.pdf)
  5. National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) - (https://notto.gov.in/)


Source-Medindia


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