ORGAN DONATION - Slideshow

What is Organ donation

Organ donation is the process of removing tissues or organs from a live, or recently dead, person to be used in another.


The former is the donor and the latter is the recipient.


People of all ages can become donors.


"It matters not how a man dies, but how he lives. The art of dying is not of importance, it lasts so short a time." - Dr. Johnson

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Type of donors

Some organs can be donated by a living person


Almost all organs can be donated by someone dead but this has to reach the recipient within a few hours after the donor's death.


In case of live donation the donor should give his consent .


In case of cadaver donation, relatives need to provide consent.

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Voluntary Donation

Almost everywhere organ donation is voluntary


Two voluntary systems include -


» Opt In - Where the donor gives consent


» Opt Out - Where anyone who has not refused is considered as a donor


In India we have the Opt in system, while many western countries practice the opt out system

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Organs for Donation

Some of the organs that are commonly donated -


» Kidneys


» Eyes (cornea)


» Heart


» Lungs


» Liver


» Pancreas


» Skin

Organ shortage - reasons

Family dissent and negative attitude contribute towards organ shortage.


This could be due to the following reasons -


» Religion


» Fear, ignorance and misunderstanding


» Legal aspects


» Media reports on scandals involving organ rackets

Improving Organ Donation

Currently organ donation can be termed as a "crisis with a cure." The following are some ways to improve organ donation-

» Improved patient care to facilitate easier approach for organ donation, in case of patient death

» Trained transplant co-ordinators and grief counsellors

» Improved hospital infrastructure

» Qualified Intensivists and Surgeons

Improving Organ Donation

» Increased HLA typing and cross matching facilities


» Improved facilities in packing,transport and retrieval of organs


» Supporting organizations for networking and registry maintenance


» Effective use of technology to facilitate organ donation

Role of society

Society plays a crucial role in transplant programme especially in case of cadaver transplants.

There is a urgent need for increased public awareness regarding organ donation and greater effort must be taken to dispel public concerns regarding the same.

Organ donation can give a new twist to tragedy.

Remember "organs wasted are lives lost".

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