04 July 2010
By Deepa Suryanarayan
Mumbai, India
When it comes to organ donation, experts have been of the view that public awareness and the inclination to donate organs are the biggest hurdles. However, a recent survey by an NGO has revealed a surprising fact.
Eighty–nine per cent of the people who participated in an online survey said that they were willing to donate their organs after death but only 29% knew about an organ donor card.
The survey conducted by Mohan Foundation, which promotes organ donation, had over 2,200 respondents, mostly from the 20 to 40 age group. The male to female distribution was 60:40.
The survey also revealed that 67% of the respondents had heard or had some knowledge of brain death. “An organ donor card is the size of a credit card that you can carry in your wallet and is an expression of your desire to donate your organs. If you carry one, inform your relatives about your wish,” said Dr Sunil Shroff, trustee of Mohan Foundation.
“One of the biggest causes of the lack of deceased organ donations is lack of awareness about the procedure. Sometimes, I am surprised to find that even doctors, from general surgeons to general practitioners, are not aware of the procedure. Awareness is the key,” agreed Dr Sujata Patwardhan, head of department of urology, KEM Hospital and chief of the Zonal Transplant Co–ordination Committee (ZTCC–Mumbai).
Over 6,000 deceased organ donations take place every year in the US, but, in India, the figure was about 100 last year.
There were only 36 cadaver donations in the city last year, and nine this year.
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