The Boon Called Life

Organ transplantation is the 20th century’s most important and beneficial invention to human beings. In the year 1994, India passed the law on Transplant of Human Organs (THO). According to this law, a brain dead person is considered to be dead and thus we can transplant his/her organs to needy patients. This helped in the availability of human heart, lungs, liver, kidney, pancreas, etc. for organ transplantation’s. A brain dead person can donate these organs for transplantation’s. A huge number of brain dead patients are generated in our country. All we need is a mechanism for gathering information of such patients and better coordination amongst us.

Relentless work by counselors, hospitals, NGOs, and government for over two decades has enabled us to break the myth about organ donation. Two decades ago, Ruby Hall Clinic conducted the first successful kidney transplantation surgery on a poor patient. In the last twenty years, Pune has carried out more than 200 organ donation surgeries.

We can notice that there has been a gradual social awareness about organ transplantation’s between the years 1997 to 2017. Earlier, people were not ready to accept the fact that the patient is brain dead and we could transplant the patient’s organs. A positive environment can be seen about organ transplantation today in the society. In Pune, especially, we can see a high number of such surgeries being conducted. However, it is not enough. We need more number of such donors and receptors.

Organ donation awareness has been concentrated more in urban areas; we need to tap the rural areas so that patients from remote areas could also be benefitted from it. Even in urban areas, conversion of brain death declaration and actual organ transplantations has to improve. It is a joint responsibility of healthcare workers, social workers, administrators, and social media.

Few facts about organ donation:
1. One organ donor can save up to 8 lives.
2. People of all ages and medical histories should consider themselves potential donors. Your medical condition at the time of death will determine what organs and tissue can be donated.
3. Organs and tissues that can be donated include: heart, kidneys, lungs, pancreas, liver, intestines, corneas, skin, tendons, bones, etc.
4. There is no cost to the donor’s family for organ and tissue donation.
5. If you are acutely ill and admitted to the hospital, the priority is to save your life. Organ donation can only be considered after brain death has been declared.
6. Patient’s privacy is maintained for both —donor family and recipient’s family.
7. Strict standards are in place to ensure ethical and fair distribution of organs.
8. All major religions support organ donation.

There are many advantages of organ donation, for both parties involved.
• Families of organ donors can take comfort in the fact that their loss may help to save the lives of others.
• For organ recipients, a transplant often means a second chance at life.
• For organ recipients, transplant allows to return to a normal lifestyle.

“It is very difficult to think about organ donation when one has just lost a loved one; however, organ donation is a generous and worthwhile decision that can save many lives.”

-By,
Dr Kapil Zirpe
MD. FCCM. FICCM.
President, I.S. C. G.M
Chancellor, I.C.C.C.M
Director and HOD Neuro-Trauma Unit
Grant Medical Foundation
Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune.