Donate Life!
Death is a harsh reality of life! After death, our body is either turned into ashes or is consumed by the earth in burials. But, thanks to Modern Science, today our body after death can give a new lease of life to someone due to Cadaver donation or, in easy terms, donating body organs after death. Don’t you think donating body organs after death is the best deed to give life to several others who are on their death beds??
True, Cadaver donation is a boon for mankind, but the bitter truth is that despite awareness in India the number of people coming forward for Cadaver donation is very less due to orthodox rituals, superstitions and stupid myths related to organ donation!! Today, due to fast life, many people are suffering from multiple diseases like heart, liver, kidney, etc. There are thousands who are blind. Do you know daily 500,000 people die because of non-availability of organs? 200,000 people die of liver disease. 50,000 people die from heart disease. 1,50,000 people await a kidney transplant but only 5,000 get one. Similarly, 10,00,000 lakh people suffer from corneal blindness and wait years for a transplant. All these people can get a new life if people understand the importance of Cadaver donation and donate organs. Every day, several people die due to accidents. If the parents of these accident victims show empathy and donate their relatives’ body organs, then many lives could be saved.
Organ and tissue donation is more important than many of us realize for society and for the individuals it directly affects. Today, nearly 118,000 individuals are waiting for an organ transplant to live healthier, more productive lives. For some people with end-stage organ failure, it is truly a matter of life and death. Add to these the thousands more whose lives will be improved through tissue and cornea donation and transplants that can help them move better, see better and live better. Thankfully, the media and social media have played a good role in organ donation, at least in Mumbai because though slowly but gradually, Mumbaikars have understood the importance of organ donation and the rate of organ donation has seen a rise in the past few years. According to experts, Mumbai’s cadaver donation rate is 2.5 donations for every 1 million, is the highest in India. Experts say the number of cadaver donations in Mumbai in the first two months of 2019 is the highest, for the same period over the past 22 years. Since January 1, 22 cadavers have been donated, enabling 23 kidneys, 15 liver, one lung and six heart transplants. Dr. S K Mathur, President of Zonal Transplant Co-ordination Centre, (ZTCC) said, “The boost in numbers is the result of repeated counselling and encouragement meetings with all Mumbai hospitals registered for organ transplant and retrieval. The awareness programs by media, too, have helped.”
Dr. Akash Shukla, vice-president, ZTCC and head of the Gastroenterology Department, KEM Hospital, feels to make organ donation a real success it is important to make cadaver donations a part of the school and medical college curriculum. Further, busting religious myths related to organ donation is the primary step. Once religious myths are removed the war against organ donation can be conquered easily. Besides, donors and their families need to be publicly hailed for their courage and contribution towards society. Home Times thus urges its readers to come forward and pledge for organ donation because, remember, while death takes you away, your organs will stay and save another life!!
