Aishwarya Iyer
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Written By: Aishwarya Iyer | Published : August 13, 2018 2:49 PM IST
Organ Donation Day, Why India Lags Behind In Organ Donation Rate, Common Myths Surrounding Organ Donation
August 13 is observed as the World Organ Donation Day
Stats reveal that India has about 500,000 people waiting for organ transplant. The need for organ donation is loud and clear. Experts believe that there is a lot we need to do before we reach the desired amount of organ donations.
Dr Ravi Bansal, senior consultant, Nephrologist, PSRI Hospital said, "In India laws are adequate but awareness is too less. We need to make medical doctors and the general public more aware of these laws. According to a report in India, more than 500,000 people are waiting for organ transplant. Around 21,000 kidneys, 5,000 hearts, 2 lakh livers are required and the availability is 5,000 kidneys, 70 hearts and mere 750 livers. 90% of people on the waiting list die without getting an organ."
Myths and superstition
We have been constantly talking about why people aren't coming forward to donate organs. Experts believe it is due to superstitions and myths. "Due to the prevalence of myths and superstitions, many do not think about donating their organs even after death. It is very important for the people to be aware of the importance of organ donation," said Dr Suman Nayak, Sr consultant, Nephrologist at Dharamshila Narayana Superspeciality Hospital.
Dr Nayak added, "In India, less than 10% of people donate their organs for transplant before or after death. 86% people are aware of kidney and eye donations but sadly only 7% people are aware of other organs available for the donation like heart, liver, intestine, pancreas and lungs. The unavailability of organs for donation has led to major organ shortage due to which the majority of patients end up being on the transplant waiting list."
There should be a uniform legislative policy to augment organ donations and enforce regulatory mechanisms. Organ transplantation is different from other healthcare activities and the law on this subject should be enacted by the centre. According to experts, there is a stringent need to enact these laws better.
Dr Rajesh Aggarwal, Sr. Consultant, Nephrologist, Sri Balaji Action Medical Institute said ''We need a centralized regulatory authority to monitor the transplantation procedures, inspect hospitals, and summon the concerned managerial and medical, paramedical staff involved in the procedure. It should be mandatory to report all transplantation to the central organ donation authority, with details of the donor and the recipient, members of the authorization committee and the transplantation team. All transplantation must be registered."
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