Each year, hundreds of people die while waiting for an organ transplant. There is a shortage of organs, and the gap between the number of organs donated and the number of people waiting for a transplant is getting larger. Transplants, as an option, have successful outcomes, and the number of people needing a transplant is expected to rise steeply due to an aging population and an increase in organ failure.
Organ Donation in India:
In India, a large number of people die due to road traffic accidents. However, only a small number of people that die due to these circumstances are able to donate their organs. As organs need to be transplanted as soon as possible following the donor’s death, they can only be donated by someone who has died in the hospital. Usually, organs come from people who are certified as dead while on a ventilator in a hospital intensive care unit, which can be as a result of a haemorrhage, major accident like a car crash or stroke.
Key Reasons for the shortage of Organ donors in India:
- Ignorance and lack of knowledge about Organ Donation.
- There is a major lack of awareness about organ donation in India, and recent polls and surveys reveal that people would come forth with their wish to donate if they had received more information.
- Registering one’s wish to Donate.
- A major reason for the shortage of organs is that many people have not recorded their wish about organ donation or discussed it with their families.
Myths and Beliefs:
Myths and misconceptions about organ donation discourage potential donors from making the decision to donate organs or tissue after death.
The time gap between Removal of Organ from brain dead patient and Transplantation:
- Heart- 3 hrs
- Lung- 10 hrs
- Liver Pancreas- 12 hrs
- Kidney- 24 hrs
- Cornea- 2 weeks (routine media used can store cornea for 4 days)
- Skin- 5 yrs
Donate Your Organs, Save Lives!