Delhi witnesses increase in organ donation

All parts of the medical sector have been significantly impacted by the coronavirus illness 2019 (COVID-19), although according to official statistics, active coordination and the rebirth of public hospitals have improved Delhi’s organ donation and transplantation programme.

Lung transplants have just begun at AIIMS Delhi, and dead donation and transplant programmes at the Army Hospital Research and Referral and RML Hospital have also resumed.

The Director of the AIIMS honoured 18 families as part of the Donor Felicitation Program, which was held by the Organ Retrieval Banking Organization (ORBO) and AIIMS on Tuesday at the AIIMS in New Delhi to honour the unsung heroes of society.

To promote Organ and Tissue Donation, ORBO conducted awareness camps and mass organ and tissue pledging campaigns in collaboration with BSF through the year 2021-2022.

A large number of officers and soldiers of BSF pledged their Organs and Tissues with ORBO. The donor cards were handed over to Commandant (Medical) BSF on Wednesday.
“Every year, we lose a significant number of patients to end-stage organ failure due to the non-availability of organs and tissues. We must dispel myths and fears and develop a positive attitude towards organ and tissue donations in society” Director of AIIMS Dr M Srinivas said.
He also expressed gratitude to the donors and their families for the noble deed of saving so many lives at the time of their grief.

Head of ORBO Prof Arti Vij said, “The process of organ retrieval to transplantation is very extensive as it takes efficient coordination and teamwork between donor’s family, transplant coordinators, physician, transplant teams, support staff, forensic department, blood bank, laboratory department and police for the entire sequence of events to be seamless. Apart from these stakeholders, there are many hands that work for this noble cause. Several volunteers, NGOs, media organisations and society contribute effectively at large. I express my heartfelt gratitude to the donors and donor’s family foremost and to all key players that promote this continuity of life. ORBO maintains an exhaustive website and e-book in which the story of these divine souls and brave families are updated regularly so that their legacy lives on.”

The transplant coordinator of ORBO Rajiv Makhuri said, “Counselling on organ donation is an essential step for families of brain-dead patients. Standard practice should include the physicians’ call for a transplant coordinator before meeting with the families of potential donors screening for potential organ donors in intensive care units and professional counselling are key components needed to promote deceased donations.”

Divya, the mother of Lata who is a multi-organ donor, said, “My daughter Lata was under treatment in AIIMS for a long. I used to see the hoardings and flexes of ORBO about organ donors and inspired by this, I decided to donate my daughter’s organs. We could not do ‘Kanyadaan’ of my daughter instead I chose ‘Angdaan’ so that others’ lives could be saved.”

Earlier on November 27, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Mansukh Mandaviya while addressing the 12th Indian Organ Donation Day said, “It makes me immensely proud to share that the total number of organ transplants done per year in the country has increased from 4990 in the year 2013 to 12746 in the year 2019 and India now ranks third in the world only behind USA and China as per the data available on the Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation (GODT) website.

Similarly, the organ donation rate has increased to about four times as compared to 2012-13. However, we are still facing a huge gap between the number of patients requiring transplantation and the number of people who consent to donate their organs after death. Further, the organ donation and transplantation activities have been negatively impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic which we hope to leave behind soon.”