Dear Friends,
GRATITUDES NEVER SAY NO FOR ANY ROTARY COMMITMENT.
Today I am here to share my views on a subject for I am neither an authority nor posses much knowledge and that is on organ donation.
It is said in Rotary the moment you climb the ladder to D G you are expected to know on every subject under the sun and that made me accept this challenge.
Organ Donation is such a Nobel cause that every Rotary Club must accept it with all the seriousness and when you get back to your respective clubs you educate and motivate your club members to be part of this movement whole heartedly. It really gives us an opportunity to get involved in helping some one unknown to us in the ultimate gift after we have left this world.
Yes Friends, every day many people die while waiting for a transparent. We can certainly help such individuals by donating our vita organs after we have passed away and save their lives.
For more sentimental of you , of all the patients waiting for a transplant, over 10% of those are children under 18 years of age.
What is organ donation?
Organ donation is the harvesting of an individual’s organs after he or she dies for the purpose of transplanting them into another person. The person who gives the organs is called a donor while a person who receives the organ is called a recipient.
Who can be donor?
All of us can be organ donors, irrespective of age, caste, religion, community, current or past medical condition. Children can also be organ donors after taking consent for organ donation from their parents.
Most cancer patients may donate corneas.
Which organs and tissues can be donated?
Vital Organs like heart, liver, kidneys, intestines, lungs, and pancreas can be donated only in case of ‘brain death’. However other tissues like corneas, heart valves, skin, bones etc can be donated only in case of natural death.
How does Organ Donation help patients with organ failure?
For organ recipients, a transplant often means a second chance at life. Vital organs such as the heart, pancreas, liver, kidneys and lungs can be transplanted to those whose organs are failing. It allows many recipients to return to a normal lifestyle. For others, a cornea or tissue transplant means the ability to see again or the recovery of mobility and freedom from pain.
What is the importance of a donor registry?
A registry is an essential part of understanding who and where potential donors are. A registry gives a planner enough information to devise strategies to get more public cooperation and commitment towards organ donation.
Having a registry in place allows doctors and transplant coordinators to check if a brain dead person wished to donate and then approaching the family for consent becomes easier. It helps in saving crucial time in the process of organ donation.
Why Donate?
Each year, thousands of people die while waiting for a transplant, because no suitable donor can be found for them. The need for organ donors has never been greater.Do you know In India every year nearly:
500,000 people die because of non-availability of organs200,000 people die of liver disease50,000 people die from heart disease150,000 people await a kidney transplant but only 5,000 get oneOver a Million people suffer from corneal blindness and await transplantand hundreds and thousands lose their life due to burn as the skin is not available.
Nationally, with a population of 1.25 billion people, the statistic stands at 0.08 persons as organ donors per million population (PMP).
This is an incredibly small and insignificant number compared to the statistics around the world.
Countries like the USA, UK, Germany, Netherlands have a ‘family consent’ system for donations where people sign up as donors, and their family’s consent is required.
Other countries like Singapore, Belgium, Spain have a more aggressive approach of ‘presumed consent’, which permits organ donation by default unless the donor has explicitly opposed it during his lifetime. These countries have seen the rate of donations double, averaging between 20-40 , Per Million Population ..
We understand it is difficult to think about organ donation when you have just lost a loved one; however organ donation is a generous and worthwhile decision that can save many lives. By donating, each person can save the lives of upto 7 individuals by way of organ donation and enhance the lives of over 50 people by way of tissue donation.
How to donate?
To be an organ donor, it is important to register by signing up for Organ Donation. Please be in touch with our District Chair for organ donation or your the A G to your respective Rotary Club .
CONGRATULATIONS TO DG AND ALL THE CLUBS WHO ARE PARTICIPATING IN THIS UNUSUAL SEMINAR .
9 July 2016