Introduction:
Our ancestors say that the biggest donation is to donate food to the needy. This is being said by many of our parents and family members for a long. We have been listening to it since our childhood and people also say that the biggest of donations is to donate eyes, blood, etc. Thus, to donate something for the needy from the things we have is something that shows our gratitude. In this modern era, due to changes in our food, habits, lifestyle, etc., there are some advancements in our donation also. That is what I'm going to talk about in the following paragraphs.
The reason to choose this topic is just to bring some more awareness among the readers that there is someone in need all the time and that we could live in this wonderful world even after our lifetime. Organ donation implies that donation need not be only in the form of money or food alone. It shows our gratitude to God and for the life that we have lived.
What is Organ Donation?
This may seem weird to some. But it is something that every person in this world must be aware of. Donating your organs to people in need after your death is called Organ Donation. This shows that one need not be a doctor to save lives instead he/she can donate his/her organs afterlife to save a life.
Organ donation literally means that it is a process of donating a person's organs to another willingly during or after a lifetime.
It can happen only by the consent of the donor when he is alive or his/her family members after his lifetime.
Organ donation day:
To bring awareness among the people, Organ donation day is celebrated on the 13th of August every year across the world. The main objective and aim of this day are to motivate people to pledge and register to donate their organs after death and also to spread awareness about the importance of organ donation. It is also said that a person's organs can save up to eight lives and help more than seventy-five people. The theme of World Organ Donation Day of 2022 is "Let's pledge to donate organs and save lives".
In India, national Organ Donation Day is celebrated on November 27th every year since 2010. In our country, organ donation has always been on a small scale. According to the estimates, only 0.65 organ donations per million population take place in our country. Thus, as the youth of the nation, it is our responsibility to spread the importance and awareness on organ donation to the people in our society. And also, to make people understand how a generation will be helped by organ donation.
Facts on organ donation:
Anybody can donate their organs and become a donor irrespective of their age, religion, community, etc.
A defined age for donating organs doesn't exist.
A person younger than 18 must have his/her parent's agreement to become a donor.
Tissue donation (like cornea, valves of the heart, skin, bone, etc.) can happen in the case of natural death.
Organs like the heart, liver, kidney, lungs, and pancreas could be transplanted to the organ failing patients.
It enables a person to save a life afterlife and helps the recipient to extend their lifetime.
Annually around a lakh people need eye transplants and heart transplants are also in number. For all this, we need donors to donate and only a smaller number of patients are getting their transplants done successfully. To improve this, many people must come forward to donate their organs after death so that others may get helped. The main reason behind a smaller number of organ donations is the lack of awareness and lack of knowledge among the people regarding the process of organ transplant.
Organ donation registration:
Organ donation can also be called as 'Pledging our organs'. It is a rule of our government that even if the donor had a will and registered for donation, organs will not be taken until the donor's family or kin permits to do so. Thus, it is advised that if a person is willing to donate his/her organs afterlife, he/she must get consent from their family members so that there may not be any problem in the future.
In our country, a citizen can donate his/her full body for medical research and education.
The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) is the place where all our pledges are registered, and donor cards are supplied from here to the registered person in our country. The Organ Retrieval Banking Organization (ORDO) in certain places coordinates the process after death and transplantation as well.
We can donate our organs in two ways:
- By pledging for donating organs when he/she is alive.
- By the consent of the family after the death of the donor.
- If the person wants to donate organs, he/she can do so by filling up a donor form in the presence of two witnesses one of whom shall be his/her near relative.
- The form can be obtained in person or through the mail from ORDO. It is free of cost.
- The form must be filled and signed by two of the witnesses as said earlier one of them must be a near relative.
- A donor card will be provided to the donor after his/her registration, and he/she is asked to keep that card always with them or either in their pockets or their bags
- If a person expires before registering for organ donation provided, he had the wish to donate his organs, his parents can donate that person's organs by signing a consent form at that time.
- The transplant coordination team will carry out the entire process until the relatives receive the body of the deceased.
- The deceased body is given back to the family in a dignified way.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, organ donation is a noble deed; it shows the contribution of a person even after death. Awareness of organ donation must be spread among people extensively.