Hello fellows! Hope you all are doing well. Today, in this blog we will discuss World Organ Donation Day which is observed every year on the 13th of August.
Aim:
This day aims to motivate normal human beings to pledge to donate organs after death and to spread awareness about the importance of organ donation. One organ donor can save up to eight lives.
About organ donation:
Organ Donation is donating a donor’s organs like heart, liver, kidneys, intestines, lungs, and pancreas, after the donor dies, to transplant them into another person who needs an organ.
The person who gives the organs is called a donor while a person who receives the organ is called a recipient. One brain dead donor can save up to eight lives of people suffering from end-stage organ failures. Even though millions of people have registered to become organ donors, very few donors pass away in a way that allows organ donation.
Who can be a donor?
Everyone can choose to be an organ donor, irrespective of age, caste, religion, community, current or past medical condition. Children can also be organ donors after taking consent for organ donation from their parents.
Organ Donors in India :
The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare of India launched the 6th World and first-ever Indian Organ Donation Day and Organ Donation Congress in 2010 in New Delhi.
India remains a country with one of the lowest organ donation rates in the world. Awareness is the key to increase organ donor ratios in India. The organ donation rates in India are very poor around 0.3/million, as compared to some western countries where it is as high as 36/million, in the US it is around 26/million population.
Statistics regarding Organ Donation:
According to a survey published by the Government of India, 5 lakh people die annually due to the non-availability of organs. In India, 2,00,000 deaths are caused due to liver disease, heart failures claim 50,000 lives while only 5,000 patients out of 1,50,000 awaiting a kidney transplant can get an organ.
Some facts about organ donation: (As per National Health Portal)
- In the case of natural death tissues of the cornea, heart valves, bone and skin can be donated whereas other vital organs like the heart, liver, intestines, kidneys, lungs, and pancreas can only be donated in the case of brain death.
- There is no defined age for organ donation but it is based on strict medical criteria.
- Anyone can be an organ donor irrespective of age, caste, religion, community etc.
- After organ failure, vital organs like the heart, liver, intestines, kidneys, lungs and pancreas can be transplanted into the patient to help the recipient lead a normal life.
So, here we came to an end of the detailed knowledge about World Organ Donation Day. For more such blogs, stay tuned.
Thank you!
