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Organ Donation

The Importance of Organ Donation

Aug 17th, 2023

Archive for the ‘ Organ Donation ’ Category

The Importance of Organ Donation

Thursday, August 17th, 2023

India has one of the world’s lowest organ donation rates compared to the rest of the world. The urgent need for organ donation is highlighted by the fact that the demand for organ donation in India greatly outweighs the supply, and the ratio of deceased organ donors to the population is less than one donor per million. Around 5 lakh people die every year in India due to the unavailability of organs. Behind these numbers lie stories of hope, despair, and the incredible impact a single donor can have on multiple lives. Organ donation is not just a medical procedure; it is a gift that brings renewed hope and a second chance at life to those in need.

Organs and Tissue Donation

While organs are vital, tissue donation is equally significant. A single organ donor has the potential to donate life-saving organs such as the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas, and intestines. Tissue donation helps restore lives in many ways and can impact the lives of up to 75 people. From bone, tendons, and cartilage to corneas, skin, and heart valves, these generous donations improve the quality of life for numerous individuals. Tissue donation provides an opportunity for healing, restores mobility, and enables recipients to regain their independence.

Common Myths about Organ Donation

Myth: Doctors won’t try as hard to save my life if I am an organ donor
Facts: It important to note that the decision to donate does not impact the level of medical care one receives. Organ donation is a separate process handled with utmost respect and professionalism by healthcare professionals.

Myth: Age matters when it comes to organ donation
Fact: There is no defined cut-off age for donating organs. The decision to use your for a transplant is based on strict medical criteria. Let the medical professionals decide whether your organs and tissues are fit for transplantation at the time of your death.

Myth: My medical illness will prevent me from becoming an organ donor.
Fact: There are very few medical conditions that automatically disqualify a person from donating organs. Let medical experts determine whether your organs are suitable for transplantation or not after your death.

Myth: My family will have to pay for the organ donation.
Fact: The organ donation cost is borne by the recipient’s healthcare system and not the donor’s family. Only the medical expenses incurred during all final attempts to save the donor’s life are passed along to the donor’s family; yet, these expenses are sometimes mistaken for expenditures associated with organ donation.

In India, a huge gap still exists between those requiring transplants and the actual number of organs available for transplant, resulting in the demise of many patients who require donated organs to stay alive. Organ donation is a powerful act of compassion and selflessness that holds the potential to save and transform lives. By dispelling misconceptions and spreading awareness, we can encourage more individuals to become organ donors, making a significant difference in countless lives. Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital is proud to support the Times Donation Drive and help make a difference. Registering to be an organ donor, discussing your decision with loved ones, and raising awareness within your community are steps we can all take to ensure that the gift of life continues to be shared, offering hope to those in need. Together, we can make a profound impact and give the ultimate gift – the gift of life. To sign up as an organ donor, give a missed call on 7862991122 or visit organdonationday.com

Organ Donation 2021

Friday, August 13th, 2021

Organ donation is donating an organ to someone in need of a transplant. In India, there is a wide gap between the demand and supply of organs. Every year around 4 lakh people see an untimely death in India while waiting for a transplant due to inadequate infrastructure, a lack of willingness, and, most crucially, a lack of understanding of the process. As per World Health Organization, only around 0.01 percent of people in India donate their organs after death. Some of the reasons behind such poor performance are lack of public awareness, religious or superstitious beliefs among people or personal inhibitions. It is time to change this perception and increase the awareness about organ donation. Living or deceased, organ donation is one of the most impactful things you can ever do, and there are patients who need you right now.

Organ donation – Eligibility

Anyone can register a decision to become an organ donor after death. To donate organs after death, a person needs to die in hospital in specific circumstances. Medical professionals decide in each individual case whether a person’s organs and tissue are suitable for donation. Here are a few things to note:

  • Age limit
    There is no age limit for becoming an organ donor. The decision about whether some or all organs or tissue are suitable for transplant is always made by medical specialists at the time of donation.
  • Medical conditions
    Most medical conditions allow a person to become an organ or tissue donor. Speak to your doctor to know more about this.
  • Smoking and organ donation
    Smoking does not make you ineligible for organ donation. Specialist healthcare professionals will decide whether a person’s organs and tissue are suitable for donation.
  • Alcohol and Organ Donation
    Drinking alcohol does not prevent you from becoming an organ donor. However, a heavy alcohol intake might affect your ability to donate some organs. Doctors will decide your eligibility at the time of donation.

Always remember to inform your family about your decision of organ donation as hospitals seek consent from the family before the donation.

What organs can be donated?

One organ donor can help up to eight transplant recipients. Organs that can be donated from one donor include heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas, lungs and intestines. One tissue donor can help up to 50 people. Cornea donors give the gift of sight to two people. Skin donors help burn victims recover from traumatic injuries. Bone, heart valve, ligaments and tendon donors help many people return to health. 

Organ donation – Myths and Facts

Myth: Only the deceased can donate organs.
Fact: Living donors are crucial as well.  The popularity of living-organ donation—particularly for kidneys has increased a lot in the recent years, as people are becoming more aware.

Myth: Doctors won’t try as hard to save my life if I am an organ donor.
Facts: When you go to the hospital for treatment, doctors focus on saving your life and giving you the best care possible. Being a registered organ donor makes no different to your treatment.

Myth: Organ donation is against my religion.
Fact: Organ donation is consistent with the beliefs of most major religions. If you’re unsure of or uncomfortable with your faith’s position on organ donation, speak to a religious head to know more.

Myth: I’m too old for organ donation.
Fact: There’s no defined cut-off age for donating organs. The decision to use your organs is based on strict medical criteria. Let the doctors decide at the time of your death whether your organs and tissues are suitable for transplantation.

Myth: My medical condition does not allow organ donation.
Fact: Very few medical conditions automatically disqualify you from donating organs. Let medical professionals at the time of your death determine whether your organs are suitable for transplantation.

Myth: Rich and famous get priority for organ donation.
Fact: No one receives preferential treatment on the transplant waiting list. A transplant candidate is prioritized by blood type, tissue or organ needed, medical urgency, and the cumulative time they have been there on the waiting list.

Myth: My family will be charged if I donate my organs.
Fact: The organ donors family is never charged for donation. The family is charged for the costs of all final efforts to save your life, and those costs are sometimes misinterpreted as costs related to organ donation. The organ removal cost goes to the transplant recipient.

Why you should consider organ donation

Registering to be an organ donor is giving hope to someone. Raise awareness about organ donation among your family and friends & encourage people to take a pledge for this noble deed. Donating one’s organs is the biggest gift & it can save someone’s precious life. By donating your organs and tissue after you die, you can save or improve as many as 75 lives. It’s time to come together and close the gap between the number of eligible donors and the number of people on the waiting list. Let us spread love and hope with organ donation. To register as an organ donor, give a missed call on 8882110088. Please visit the below website for further information: https://organdonationday.in

Organ Donation: Its importance and process

Thursday, August 13th, 2020

13th August is celebrated every year as Organ Donation Day in India. Organ donation is the harvesting of an individual’s organs after he or she dies for the purpose of transplanting them into another person. The person who gives the organs is called a donor while a person who receives the organ is called a recipient. One brain dead donor can save up to eight lives of people suffering from end-stage organ failures. Donation affects more than donors and recipients. It also affects the families, friends, colleagues, and acquaintances who love and support those in need of transplantation, and who benefit from their renewed life and improved health after transplant.

Why India needs to boost “Organ Donation”
The huge gap exists even when an individual can save up to 8 lives. Awareness is the key to increase organ donor ratios in India. Here are a few statistics:

● 500,000 people die because of non-availability of organs
● 200,000 people die of liver disease
● 50,000 people die from heart disease
● 150,000 people await a kidney transplant
● 10,00,000 lakh people suffer from corneal blindness

Organ Donors in India
India remains a country with one of the lowest organ donation rates in the world. The organ donation rates in India are very poor around 0.3/million, as compared to some western countries where it is as high as 36/million, in the US it is around 26/million population.

Organ donation helps in a transplant that often means a second chance at life. Vital organs such as the heart, pancreas, liver, kidneys, and lungs can be transplanted to those whose organs are failing. It allows many recipients to return to a normal lifestyle. For others, a cornea or tissue transplant means the ability to see again or the recovery of mobility and freedom from pain

Who can be a donor?
Everyone can choose to be an organ donor, irrespective of age, caste, religion, community, current or past medical condition. Children can also be organ donors after taking consent for organ donation from their parents.

The Organ Donation process
Even though millions of people have registered to become organ donors, very few donors pass away in a way that allows organ donation. Here are some additional details about the organ donation process:

  1. Registering as a Donor
    The process of donation most often begins with your consent to be a donor by registering your name in the national registry and informing your family. This is the first step to help save potential lives.
  1. Brain Death Testing
    If the patient not responding to treatment and stimuli, doctors will perform a series of tests to determine if brain death has occurred. A patient who is brain dead has no brain activity and cannot breathe on his or her own. Brain death is death and it is irreversible. Only brain dead patients can become potential organ donors.
  1. Authorizing Donation
    The healthcare authorities check if the deceased is registered as a donor on their registry. In India, the family’s consent is mandatory for organ donation and has the final say.
  1. The matching process
    Healthcare specialists determine whether the organ is medically suitable for transplant. A series of tests on various parameters is done to help match an organ to a suitable recipient for transplant.
  1. Recovering the Organs
    After removing the organ, surgeons connect it to a machine that keeps them working artificially. Doctors take utmost care while removing the organs. Most organs have limited life spans as below:
    1. Heart: 4-6 hours
    2. Liver: 12-24 hours
    3. Kidney: 48-72 hours
    4. Heart-Lung: 4-6 hours
    5. Lung: 4-6 hours
  1. Transporting the Organs
    Surgical teams work round the clock to co-ordinate between the retrieved organ and the recipient for a successful transplant. In some cases, a green corridor is created for an organ transplant. It is a demarcated, cleared out special road route created for an ambulance to enable the retrieved organ meant for transplant to reach the destined hospital within the stipulated time.

Take a step closer to helping others. Pledge to donate your organs after you are gone and also inform your family about your decision. Spread the message about Organ Donation. Please find below the link for further details on Organ Donation:

https://www.kokilabenhospital.com/departments/centresofexcellence/centrefor_transplant/organdonation.html