Government must improve, simplify processes
That only a tiny percentage of the Indian population considers organ donation of the deceased, is in itself unfortunate. What makes matters worse is the large-scale wastage of organs that have been donated. Take, for example, the case of corneas. According to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, less than half of the corneal donations made every year reaches the beneficiaries. In 2013-2014, more than 51,000 eyes were donated; only 43 per cent of those were transplanted. The previous year, the figure was even smaller — 39.5 per cent. Many developed countries too face a similar problem, but in India, which is home to one-third of the world's blind population, the scale of loss is bigger.
There are two primary reasons for the wastage of corneas: First, many donated corneas do not meet the stringent specifications for transplant. Because offers for donation are so few, eye banks and other such organisations accept whatever comes their way. It is only after the donation has been made that the cornea is tested for compliance. There is not much that can be done to save these kinds of losses. However, efficient interventions can go a long way in preventing losses in the second category that are caused due to human lapses. For example, by the time the families of the deceased get in touch with an eye bank or a hospital to make a donation, it is often too late.
Corneal donations have to be made within six hours of death, or else the eyes are rendered useless. The situation is worse in small towns where public awareness is low and donation counsellors few. Usually, road accident victims also make good candidates for eye and other organ donations, but they are often forgotten in the chaos that ensues between police, hospital authorities and family members. Another major problem is the lack of coordination among eye banks and hospitals. As a result, even the good corneal donations, which last for only a fortnight, go unused. Such loopholes in the system will encourage potential donors to stay away from what seems like needless hassle.
To improve this situation, a multi-pronged approach is necessary. For one, the Government and all medical authorities must undertake public awareness campaigns to urge people to donate their organs after death and also educate them on how to make an effective donation. There are some misconceptions about organ donation with regard to the presumed ‘desecration' of the dead, and these must be fought on a war-footing. As of now, almost all organ donations in India are from live donors. Additionally, a strong and efficient nationwide organ donation network, like America's United Network for Organ Sharing, is needed to ensure that donated organs reach the beneficiaries. India has such networks at the State level (with varying levels of success) and a national network is in the works. Thus, a lot more needs to be done.