As a special Skin Bank is set up at Masina Hospital, and an Eye Bank is soon to be shifted there, it is appropriate to bring awareness among the community about the procedure relating to body and organ donations.
The main drawbacks for organ donation are our ignorance and the negative publicity in the name of religion. Our community is made to believe that organ donation is going against the will of God and the one who donates his/her organ will be born without that organ in the next life.
For those who are in a state of coma, i.e. a state of deep unconsciousness, the heart continues to beat, the brain is functioning and the breathing is normal. With proper treatment, the person may emerge from the comatose state and regain normalcy. But in the case of someone who is brain dead, though the heart is beating, the brain has stopped functioning and clinically and legally the person is declared dead. A brain dead person cannot be revived or gain normalcy. Brain death occurs due to severe head injury, mostly in cases of accidents or a stroke. Only when it is confirmed that the person is brain dead, the doctors through "grief counselling” prepare the relatives to consider the idea of doing something meaningful which makes the loss of the dear one easier to bear. Once the doctors get the consent from the relatives, the procedure to retrieve the organs and tissues from the body begins. Donation from a single body can save at least seven precious lives.
The main organs and tissues for transplantation are: kidneys, liver, heart, lungs, pancreas, the cornea, skin, bone marrow and blood. The last two can be donated by people during their life time as they are regenerated by the body in a short span. It is possible to donate a kidney or a portion of liver from the body of a living healthy individual but there are certain restrictions under the law to prevent people misusing the procedure for malevolent purposes.
To become a donor, one has to contact an agency or a government hospital and sign an organ donor card, preferably in the presence of a family member. The newly opened Global Hospital at Parel, affiliated to Narmada Kidney Foundation, provides most comprehensive multi-organ transplant service (tel: +91-8879688660 / 022-67670101). Anyone above the age of 18 and of a sound mind and body is eligible for organ and body donation. Those with severe systemic infection, or suffering from cancer, or a contagious disease are excluded from donating organs. Cases involving medico legal implications are not considered for organ donation.
When death occurs naturally, the heart stops functioning. All organs of the body cease to receive blood and they die. With the exception of the eyes and the skin, these dead organs and tissues cannot be transplanted. It is possible to transplant other vital organs only when the heart is functioning and the body is kept alive on life support in an intensive care unit at the hospital. Body donations which cannot be used for transplants, can however be utilized for medical studies and research.
When a person dies at home, the skin and cornea of the eyes, if removed within about six hours after death, can be utilized as transplants. The newly established Skin Bank at Masina Hospital will facilitate better care and treatment of burns, and also reduce the cost and time of recovery. Both the skin and cornea can be removed without hazards. One can call on tel: 61841325 and intimate the concerned personnel who will arrange to send their staff to the residence. After the procedure, the body is dressed neatly for performance of last rites.
There are two million Indians affected by corneal blindness and a significant portion of them are young. Transplanted corneas will give them a chance to restore their vision. There are a number of eye banks who send technicians at home to collect the cornea. The list of the centers is available on the Internet. The Eye Bank Coordination and Research Centre at Parel may also be contacted on tel: 24164342 / 24162929. Even if it may not be possible for us to donate other organs, eyes and skin donation are simple procedures and need to be donated by all.
Donating an organ is one of the most profound gifts you can give because you are giving someone else a chance to lead a new and healthy life. This is the greatest and the most valuable gift which even the poorest of the poor can give to the richest among the rich.
PIROJA JOKHI
piroja.jokhi@yahoo.com