Health minister Mandaviya urges people to donate organs

New Delhi: Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Saturday exhorted people to not only pledge to donate their organs but also spread the word on the paucity of organs available for transplant in the country and inspire others to come forward.

“Jeete ji raktdaan, marne ke baad angadaan. This should be the motto of our life,” he said. Addressing the 12th Indian Organ Donation Day here, the minister called for greater coordination and underlined that the entire society needs to play an active role in addressing organ donation hesitancy.

“The event, meant to celebrate the gift of life given by deceased donors to transplant recipients, was inaugurated to promote organ donation at a time the country’s demand for organ replacement far exceeds organ donations,” a statement by the health ministry said. “Our culture puts emphasis on ‘Shubh’ and ‘Laabh’ where individual well-being is rooted with the greater good of the community.

”It is my honour to be participating in the 12th Indian Organ Donation Day, a day which is celebrated for the noble cause of organ donation. Since the year 2010, Indian Organ Donation Day is being celebrated every year to commemorate the contributions made to society by deceased donors and their families,” Mandaviya said.

He said the total number of organ transplants done per year in the country has increased from 4,990 in 2013 to 12,746 in 2019, adding that India now ranks third in the world only behind the US and China according to the data available on the Global Observatory on Donation and Transplantation (GODT) website.

Similarly, the organ donation rate has increased to about four times as compared to 2012-13.

”However, we are still facing a huge gap between the number of patients requiring transplantation and the number of people who consent to donate their organs after death. Further, the organ donation and transplantation activities have been negatively impacted due to the COVID-19 pandemic which we hope to leave behind soon,” Mandaviya said.

Minister of State for Health Bharati Pawar talked about the helplessness of many individuals along with their families which gets addressed when an organ is donated and transplanted upon them.

“National events such as the Indian Organ Donation Day where we recognize the selfless contribution made by deceased donors to healthcare and mankind re-instill our faith in humanity and encourage us to follow in the footsteps of these superheroes and pledge our organs to help fellow human beings suffering from end-stage organ failure,” she said.

The ministers also gave away awards to encourage exemplary performance by transplant professionals in the country.

The State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) of Maharashtra won the award for the highest number of deceased donors transplantations, while Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) for the Western Region was recognized for best performance, the statement said.