Gujarat: Doctors Plan Counseling Cell In Hospitals To Promote Organ Donation

In a bid to create awareness about the need and importance of organ donation as well as to bust the myths associated with it, the woman doctors’ wing of the Indian Medical Association (WDW-IMA) has decided to partner with government and corporate hospitals across the state to come up with a counseling cell in each hospital and convince relatives of brain dead patients to donate the latter’s organs.

Speaking about this initiative, WDW-IMA’s national chairperson Mona Desai said, “Lack of organs leads to many people losing their lives. These deaths are avoidable. Gujarat used to lead in organ donation, but now ranks fifth at the national level. We need to sensitise more people on the importance of organ donation and debunk the myths surrounding it.”

Desai told DNA that WDW-IMA is currently organising awareness lectures in schools, colleges, and universities across the state to sensitise the youth on the subject. Thereafter, it will collaborate with state-run and corporate hospitals to start a counseling cell to convince relatives of brain dead patients to donate the latter’s organs. She said a team of 4-5 women doctors will be deployed for each hospital to convince people for organ donation.

“Usually, hospitals have a transplant coordinator for the purpose, but when women doctors will explain the subject to patient relatives, it would have a different impact on them. Not just in busting the myths, but women doctors will be able to take care of the emotional aspects of patients’ relatives in a better way,” Desai said.

There is a huge gap in the requirement and availability when it comes to organ donation in India. Almost 1.5 lakh people in India need a kidney, but only 3,000 receive one. India’s annual liver transplant requirement is 25,000, but only 800 undergo transplant. 90% of people in the waiting list for organ transplant die due to lack of organs.According to the in-charge director of Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre, Vineet Mishra, the lack of awareness and the myths associated with organ donation are two major factors behind the abysmally low organ donation figures in India. Despite the large population, India’s organ donation rate is one of the lowest in the world with only 0.8 per 10 lakh people opting for organ donation.

For Sensitisation

• WDW-IMA is organising awareness lectures in schools, colleges, and universities across the state to sensitise youth on the subject
• Thereafter, it will collaborate with hospitals to start a counseling cell to convince relatives of brain dead patients to donate the latter’s organs – DNA