Organ donation is called Mahadaan, with the help of which millions of lives can be saved every year around the world. However, unfortunately in India, there is a huge gap between the need for organs and organ donation. Experts say that the challenges are increasing continuously due to a lack of awareness about organ donation among people and the myths related to it.

World Organ Donation Day is celebrated every year on 13 August to increase awareness about the importance of organ donation and to dispel the myths related to it.

Reports show that the rate of organ donation in India is very low. Here the figure of organ donation from a dead body is less than one in every million people. In contrast, in Western countries, 70-80 percent of organ donations are obtained from the bodies of the dead. Experts say that along with the lack of organ donation, the wastage of organs in the country also remains a big challenge, which is a worrying problem.

Challenges related to organ donation

According to media reports, due to myths and a lack of correct information among people, a large number of kidneys and other vital organs are wasted every year. Brain dead people are not identified in hospitals on time, due to which despite the availability of potential donors, there is a significant decrease in the rate of organ donation in the country.

Health experts say it is a big irony in a densely populated country like India that every year thousands of life-saving organs are either wasted or are not obtained in time.

What do health experts say?

In a conversation with Amar Ujala, Dr. N. R Pathak, hematologist and surgeon at a hospital in Pune, says, the gap between the number of organs available in the country and the number of needy patients is very large. Waste of organs due to logistical and systemic challenges is also a serious issue, which needs improvement.

The results in the states where work has been done in this direction have been very good. The figures for organ donation in Gujarat have been very good, from which other states also need to learn. Encouraging donors to organ donation can prove to be very helpful in this direction.

Organ donation figures increased in Gujarat

According to the data of the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization Gujarat, there has been an impressive increase of 275% in organ donation in the state in 2023 as compared to the pre-Covid period. Moreover, organ donation in the current year (2024) has reached almost 50% of the total organ donation of the previous year. Data shows that there were 170 organ donations in 2019, which increased to 469 in 2023. Apart from this, 231 organ donations have taken place so far in 2024.

Health experts say that other states should also take inspiration from these figures and think about ways to promote organ donation.

Health Ministry issued SOP
To promote organ donation and better maintenance of organs, the Union Health Ministry has recently issued the first SOP for the transportation of human organs through various modes of travel. Under this, airlines carrying organs will be allowed to arrange for takeoff and landing on a priority basis.

Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra said, that by streamlining the organ transportation process, we can increase the use of valuable organs and better reduce their wastage.

(PC: Freepik)