Mrs. X a 24-Year old woman has developed pregnancy related complications. She eventually has developed an End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) in 2 years and she has been continuing on dialysis treatment since one year and desperately hoping for the transplant.
In our country there are 1.5 to 2 lakh people like her are waiting for the renal transplant whereas our transplant rates are low with only 9150 renal transplants in the year 2019 and out of that only 1138 were from the deceased donors.
These statistics are only for the patients with kidney failure that can still lead a life with dialysis support and can have transplants from living family members. There are patients with other organ failures like liver, heart, lung and pancreas who cannot survive long without transplantation and can only get organs from the deceased donors. Here the transplant rates are abysmal when compared to the kidney. For example, only 2590 liver transplants were performed in the year 2019 against a yearly requirement number of 40000-50000 and the numbers are even lower for the other organs.
The huge disparity in the organ availability and the wait list can be matched only when there is more deceased donation which means donation from the brain dead individuals. In 2019 the donation rate was 0.5 per million populations that is one of the lowest in the world. But states like Tamilnadu have shown the way that it can be better with donation rates from 1.9 to 2.3 per million. Thanks to the united efforts by the government, NGOs and hospitals both the private and the state run. If our efforts are fuelled further, then an increase in the donation rate even by 1 per million across India will reduce the waiting list significantly. The need of the hour is to increase awareness among the people about the brain death condition and the nobleness of organ donation.
Let us join together on this day for the good cause and vow to donate our organs that will give a new lease of life to the lakhs of people suffering with organ failure.
Dr. K. Abirami, MD, DM (Nephro), MRCP (London), Senior Consultant Nephrologist Kauvery Hospital, Salem
Kauvery Hospital is globally known for its multidisciplinary services at all its Centers of Excellence, and for its comprehensive, Avant-Grade technology, especially in diagnostics and remedial care in heart diseases, transplantation, vascular and neurosciences medicine. Located in the heart of Trichy (Tennur, Royal Road and Alexandria Road (Cantonment), Chennai, Hosur, Salem, Tirunelveli and Bengaluru, the hospital also renders adult and pediatric trauma care.
Chennai – 044 4000 6000 • Trichy – Cantonment – 0431 4077777 • Trichy – Heartcity – 0431 4003500 • Trichy – Tennur – 0431 4022555 • Hosur – 04344 272727 • Salem – 0427 2677777 • Tirunelveli – 0462 4006000 • Bengaluru – 080 6801 6801
Organ donation is definitely the need of the hour and you have explained it in a crisp way.
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