AJ Hospital to organize ‘Jeevanvileena’ Organ Donation Awareness Campaign

Mangaluru : Addressing the media persons during a press meet held at Mangalore Press Club, Dr Prashanth Marla-Medical Director at AJ Hospital and Research Centre here said, “There are estimated about 160 people per million who end up in end stage kidney failure, for which transplantation is the best option. There is a need for 25,000 kidney transplants every year but on the contrary 3,500 transplants are being done per year in India.

There is substantial number of people who land up with liver failure too, who require transplantation. It is estimated that about 150,000 die in India due to road traffic accidents, out of which at least 50% people reach hospital and later declared “brain dead”. If about 20% of such people’s relatives come forward for cadaveric organ donation, it will help significant number of patients. In the developed world it is much more common compared to India where it is in the early stage”.

“Each cadaveric donor can give fresh lease of life to about 50 people, but in India only Liver, Kidneys, Heart valve, Heart and Corneal donations are common.What is brain dead? If a person with head injury, where all the organs function normally except the brain stem (an irreversible condition) is neurologically defined as “brain dead”. Their heart beats but the lungs need to be expanded by mechanical ventilatory support to maintain body oxygenation. If left, patient would be dependent on ventilator forever till the heart seizes / stops its function” he added..

A. J. Hospital & Research Centre is organizing “Organ Donation” Awareness Campaign in collaboration with Mohan Foundation, Chennai (a non-profit organization that coordinates organ donation and transplantations activities in India), N.S.S. Units of all colleges under Mangalore University. The campaign will be launched on Sunday the 20th September 2015 and valedictory function will be held on Saturday the 10th October 2015. The core objective of the campaign is to bring awareness among the general public on organ donation, its process, legal aspects, pledging, issuing donor card and also the road safety.

Shivaprasad Shetty-Head of Marketing Department, AJ Hospital was also present during the press meet.

PROGRAMME SCHEDULE

 “Jeevanvileena” 

Organ Donation awareness campaign