IMA & HCFI stand for organ transplantation and hold a webcast for concerns related to the same

IMA & HCFI stand for organ transplantation and hold a webcast for concerns related to the same

New Delhi, 16th June 2016: Organ transplantation is the surgical removal of a healthy organ from one person and its transplantation into another person whose organ has failed or was injured. It is a lifesaving procedure and gives the recipient a wonderful new lease on life. Organ donation must be performed after deliberation, evaluation of the situation and the condition of the patient for the chances of organ rejection remain high. The lack of awareness about organ donation and the need for an effective organ transplantation system in the country is a matter of prime importance in our country. Stressing on the urgent need to address the disparity in the number of people who need organ transplants vs. the number of people who successfully get transplants, the IMA and Heart Care Foundation of India organised a webcast today. The expert faculty for the same consisted of Dr B C Roy Awardee Dr Harsha Jauhri and Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal – President HCFI & Honorary Secretary General IMA. The various types of organ transplants include those of the kidney, pancreas, liver, heart and lung. Kidney transplants are the most common type of transplant surgery; the least common single-organ transplants are the intestines. In India, approximately 12 crore individuals live with some degree of kidney damage and require transplants. Out of this, only about 6000 people successfully receive a kidney transplant. Liver and heart transplantations are also as low as 1000 to 80000 in the country. Speaking about the same, Padma Shri Awardee Dr KK Aggarwal – President HCFI & Honorary Secretary General IMA said, "The practice of sex determination and illicit-organ trade by a few black sheep have defamed the entire medical profession and put the majority of the honest doctors under unnecessary scrutiny. They have increased the number of cases of violence against doctors in the country and led to a lack of trust amongst the patients for their doctors. It is important to remember that one ill act cannot be representative of the entire fraternity. Doctors work selflessly to save lives round the clock and must get the respect and trust that they deserve. Only then would they be able to effectively and successfully treat their patients and carry out their duties." Adding to this, Dr BC Roy Awardee Dr Harsha Jauhari, senior consultant renal transplant at Sir Gangaram Hospital said,” Looking at the scenario of organ transplantation as a whole in India, we find a high level of exploitation that exists. People are taking advantage of the helplessness of families who can afford to pay for an organ leaving those from economically weaker sections of the society left to die. The sale of organs is not be permitted anywhere across the globe and is illegal and must not be practised. There is a system in place which must be followed. To address the shortage of organ donations, it is imperative that National level awareness campaigns are initiated raising about the importance of donating one’s organs and dispelling common myths about the same.” Laws in India have become stringent over the past decade. As per the Organ Transplantation Act, there is an authorised committee set up to look after donations, donors are required to register themselves and are photographed with the recipients, donors have to submit government photo identities, and psychiatry evaluation is also done. A very ambitious objective is set up by the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) that states that every medical college should have some kind of transplantation activity by 2020 and every hospital across the country should have a dialysis centre. However to attain the objective more transplant surgeons and critical care personnel are required. ‘Angdan Jeevandaan' is the slogan followed and spread by NOTTO. For organ donation to take place, a consent should be passed by the person in the presence of witnesses and upon his death, it should be agreed by the relatives (witnesses). Brain death is the most confusing condition; it requires four doctors, eight examinations and then the declaration has to be made. IMA stands for a law to be made that once a person is declared brain dead and there are no donations to be made, the ventilator should be switched off. No DNA testing is required unless the relations of the relatives and the patient are in doubt. A few points discussed in the webcast include 1. Today the biggest cause of death is not cancer but diabetes and hypertension. Here death is caused due to organ failure 2. Adequately trained doctors are required for the transplantations to occur. 3. Public sector undertakings, government sectors and non-government hospitals are coming forward to offer cost effective transplants. 4. Awareness should be raised at the school level itself about the importance of organ donation 5. ‘Angdan jeevandan’ should be promoted at all levels of the society. 6. Doctors must treat each and every dead body with utmost respect only then can the public perception of organ donation be changed 7. A postmortem in today's day and age is still done in a primitive manner. There must be a system that allows organs for donation to be taken before the postmortem in the presence of the concerned doctor.