Mangaluru: The A J Hospital held a press meet on ‘Cadaveric Organ Donation – Life After Life’ at the press club Urva here on April 16.
Addressing the mediapersons Medical Director Dr Prasanth Marla K said that it was a golden letter day for Dakshina Kannada as the first ever cadaveric organ donation happened from a brain dead patient. Late Jeevan who had met with a road accident, sustained head injury and was later declared brain dead. He had expressed his wish to donate his cornea earlier with his family. But true to his name, he had given “Jeevan Daan” to two persons after his death. He has become a hero in the history of cadaveric donation. His family members have set an example to thousands of people. Though there was sorrow in the family, they gave smiles to many family members and friends who received the organs from him.
There are an estimated 160 people per million in the population that 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 only 3,500 transplants are being done per year in India. There is subsequent 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 are later declared brain dead. If about 20% of such people’s relatives wish for cadaveric organ donation, it will help a significant number of patients. In the developed world, this is much more common compared to India, where it is still in the early stage.
Each cadaveric donor can give a fresh lease of life to about 50 people. But in India, only the Liver, Kidneys, Heart valve, Heart and corneal donations are common.
Whenever a brain dead patient has willed for a donation, the same will be informed to the coordination committee. They perform the necessary legal requirements, call the recipients and their hospitals, arrange for the retrieval team, transport the organ and facilitate transplantation. The donor and recipient will not know each other at all and it is kept confidential. There will not be monetary transactions.
We salute you Jeevan. You will live forever.