IMA to hold drive on organ donation

NEW DELHI: The Indian Medical Association (IMA) is planning to launch a large-scale campaign to educate doctors about the need to ask family members of a deceased or a brain dead patient to donate organs.

Dr K K Aggarwal, president-elect of IMA, said they will use posters, seminars and other mediums to generate awareness among medical professionals.

“Currently, there is little awareness about the provision of ‘required request’ in transplant, which makes it mandatory for the medical officer on duty to request the family of a deceased or brain dead patient to donate the organs,” he said.

Few hospitals have active organ donation programmes and fewer still have transplant coordinators.

While in countries like the US and Britain, 40% families agree to donate organs of a brain dead patient, the rate of such donations is less than 2% in India, said experts. Many think their loved ones still hold a chance to recover as long as their heart is beating.

Dr Aggarwal said a living donor can donate a kidney, a portion of the pancreas and liver to her or his immediate blood relative but a brain dead patient can donate their kidney, liver, heart and corneas.