By Raju Vernekar
Mumbai, Apr 9:
The Maharashtra Medical Education department has began a drive to create public awareness about organ donation and transplant and encourage people to register their organ donation decision.
The drive began on Friday in which all doctors and students attached to medical colleges across the state participated and pledged their support. In a Mumbai-based J J Government Hospital, the doctors pledged to work towards promotion of organ donation and transplant.
Besides, nearly 49000 people pledged to donate their organs. On the occasion, Dr Pallavi Saple, Dean, Grant Government Medical College and the administrator of the Maharashtra Medical Council (MMC) said that the drive will be implemented throughout the year to encourage people to come forward to register their organ donation decision.
The organ donation and transplantation is a process of removing an organ from one person and placing it in another person whose organ has failed or been damaged by disease or injury. This is done through surgery.
The Transplantation of Human Organs (Amendment) Act 1994 was amended on 2011. The tissues were included along with the Organs. “Near relative” definition was expanded to include grandchildren, grandparents. Provision of “Retrieval Centres” and their registration for retrieval of organs from deceased donors was made. The Tissue Banks were made to register, with the amendment.
While there are 570 organ transplant centers in India, Maharashtra has 72 centers for kidney transplant, 36 centers for lever transplant and 9 centers for heart transplant. However most of the centers are run by private organizations and common people needing organ transplant cannot afford to bear prohibitive cost.
As per the statistics provided by the Directorate General of Health Services, Government of India, there is a wide gap between patients who need transplants and the organs that are available in India. An estimated 1.8 lakh persons suffer from renal failure every year, but the number of renal transplants is only around 6000. An estimated 2 lakh patients die of liver failure or liver cancer annually in India and about 10-15% can be saved with a timely liver transplant. As such about 25-30 thousand liver transplants are needed annually. However about 1,500 transplants are carried out. Similarly nearly 50000 persons suffer from Heart failures per year. But only 10 to 15 heart transplants are performed. In case of Cornea, about 25000 transplants are done every year against a requirement of one lakh.
A recent study by a Mumbai-based hospital found that of 1,000 organ transplants, 68% live organ donations were made by women. Of these 35% donated one of their kidneys or a part of their liver to their respective husbands, another 33% donated to their parents or siblings and 30% donated to their child. Around 70% donated after marriage, with 2% donating to their in-laws.
Dr Sujata Patwardhan, director of the Regional & State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation, said women’s emotional makeup is such that she won’t refuse to donate, especially if her spouse or children need an organ.
