Donate a life

Over 2.5 lakh people die in India due to organ failure. These deaths can be prevented if people donate their organs, says Ravi Virmani, CEO-founder of Credihealth

There are around half a million people in the country in need of organ transplant but are unable to undergo the procedure due to a considerable dearth of organ donors. And the main reasons for the shortage of donors are the many myths clouding the issue and a lack of awareness, particularly among those who are not directly related to the organ recipients or donors.

Over 2.5 lakh deaths in India are attributed to organ failure annually. The organ donation rate in India in 2016 was an abysmal 0.08 persons per million population. It is pertinent to mention that of the 85,000 liver failure patients who join the country’s waitlist annually, less than three per cent receive an organ. Although various programmes and campaigns are conducted each year in the country to make Indians aware of organ donation, many are unable to look beyond the myths. let’s debunk some.

Organs can be donated only after death: This is not entirely true as there are two types of organ transplants; living donor transplant and deceased/cadaver donor transplant. The former transplant is done when the donor is still alive and is willing to donate his organ. The latter takes place when an organ is removed from a brain-dead person and implanted into the patient who is in need of the organ. In cadaveric transplant, a patient is observed for 24 hours, and he is declared brain dead.

Too old or young to be a donor: There is no age limit on becoming an organ donor. But there are a few medical conditions that may prevent you from donating organs. Therefore, essentially people of all ages can be organ donors as long as the organ they are donating is healthy. There have been successful cases of organ transplants ranging from people of ages 10 to 80.

If you smoke or drink, you can’t donate: There are very few conditions that would prevent a person from becoming a donor like HIV infection, active cancer, or a systemic infection. And, if you smoke there is every chance that some of your organs and tissues might be suitable for donation.

Things to know for organ transplant:

• Patient condition: The transplant surgery might be too much for the patient in their current condition.
• Donor condition: Certain illnesses such as high blood pressure or diabetes might have caused harm to the donated organ rendering the donation void.
• Organ condition: One must make sure that the condition of the organ is healthy and favorable for a transplant. In many cases, the organ remains outside the body for too long, is damaged during recovery or transport to the transplant center. In these cases, organs are refused upon final examination.
• Donor/recipient compatibility: Tests are conducted to ensure that both the donor and the recipient are a match. Otherwise in many cases, a last moment discovery of incompatibility results in failure of the transplant, leaving the patient in a vulnerable (even life-threatening) condition.
• Transplant centre factors: The organ should be transported to the center within an acceptable period of time and under appropriate conditions.