Pact to better Asian organ donation in UK

CHENNAI: Organ donation may get a boost in India and the UK with Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network (MOHAN) Foundation signing an MoU with National Health Service Blood and Transplant of the UK on Friday.

"In the past five years, the UK has managed to double its organ donation rate, but it is struggling with donations from Asians. MOHAN Foundation will help with its counselling skills, while NHS will help India with its good practice guidelines and processes in the field of organ donation," said Dr Sunil Shroff of the foundation.

Very few people from the Asian community donate organs largely due to lack of awareness and religious and cultural beliefs. As per NHS data, Asians in the UK end up waiting a year longer than people from other races, and also have three times the organ need compared to other communities.

Health secretary Dr J Radhakrishnan, who was part of the programme, said though Tamil Nadu has emerged as the leader in India in organ donation, the state has a long way to go. "Districts like Chennai and Coimbatore are doing a good job in organ donation, with Madurai close behind. District hospitals need more grief counselors and facilities to maintain brain-dead patients," he said