New Delhi: On National Organ Donation Day many leaders and celebrities come out in support of the cause and highlight the challenges that organ donation faces in India. We live in a country where more than five lakh people die every year waiting for a transplant due to lack of enough organs. One lakh people die of liver diseases and mere 1,000 people get a liver transplant, more than 2 lakh people await kidney transplant and just 15,000 get a kidney transplant. There are more than 50,000 people who are waiting for a heart transplant and 20,000 people who are waiting for lungs.
Urging people to donate organs, Uttar Pradesh Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said, “Live forever through #OrganDonation. Pledge Today to Donate Organs and Save Lives. #SwasthaBharat.”
While, Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister For Health added, “#OrganDonation and Transplantation can improve the health, quality and span of a recipient’s life. Life is too precious. Don’t waste it. Be an #OrganDonor and save lives.”
Minister of State, Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel said, “Let’s pledge to donate our organs and encourage others to do the same.”
Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, O. Panneerselvam’s message for the netizens, “Donate Organ and Save Lives.”
Out of 29 states and 7 Union Territories, organ donation is limited to 12 states and Union Territories in the country, and that too mostly in the capital cities. Also for a country with a population of 1.25 billion, the organ donation rate in India is just 0.8 donors per million population, which is one of the lowest in the world. Lack of knowledge, awareness and infrastructure is the key reason behind the shortage of organ donation in India.
Actor Gul Panag, who pledged her organs way back in 2007 said, “Organ donation is one way to impact someone’s life directly. Think about organ donation because only when people will start thinking about organ donation, it will become a reality.”
Gul Panag was also part of the #MoreToGive Organ Donation Walkathon on Sunday. She flagged off the Mumbai leg of the six city Walkathon. The actor also said that being brought up in an army family made her understand the importance of organ donation, and that it was necessary to start having conversations about organ donation to change someone’s life forever.
Actor Swara Bhasker who joined the Walkathon from Gurugram for NDTV-More To Give walkathon added, “5,00,000 people die in #India annually waiting for an organ transplant. Love your country, Donate your organs today.”
During the walkathon she also said that organ donation is one of the most under-represented causes in India. The number of 0.8 donors per million is a shamefully low number for India, a country with population of 125 crore. She also stressed on the importance of citizens becoming more aware and said that the act of donating one’s organs is an act of loving fellow Indians.
According to the experts, a cadaver or deceased donor can save up to 9 lives. That is one of the primary reason why a need is being felt to make more and more people aware of the benefits of being an organ donor.
Pledge Now: Take the pledge to donate your organs