Organs :

1. Most often, organ donors are deceased, but some organs can be donated by living donors.

2. Corneas :

3. Most people can donate their corneas. Exceptions include people with infections or a few highly communicable diseases such as HIV or hepatitis.

4. Tissues :

5. Donated tissues save or dramatically improve the quality of life for the people who receive them. As an organ and tissue donor, you can enhance the lives of up to 50 people.

6. Hands and Face :

7. Hands and faces have recently been added to the list of organs that can be successfully transplanted.

8. Blood Stem Cells, Cord Blood, and Bone Marrow :

9. Healthy adults between the ages of 18 – 60 can donate blood stem cells. In order for a blood stem cell transplant to be successful, the patient and the blood stem cell donor must have a closely matched tissue type or human leukocyte antigen (HLA).

10. Blood and Platelets :

11. Blood and platelets are formed by the body, go through a life cycle, and are continuously replaced throughout life. This means that you can donate blood and platelets more than once. It is safe to donate blood every 56 days and platelets every four weeks.

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Brain death is the complete loss of brain function (including involuntary activity necessary to sustain life).It differs from persistent vegetative state, in which the person is alive and some autonomic functions remain.  It is also not to be confused with an ordinary coma, whether induced medically or caused by injury and/or illness, even if it is very deep, as long as some brain and bodily activity and function remains; and it is also not the same as the condition known as locked-in syndrome. That is why a thorough differential diagnosis is so important in all of these conditions.

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In Numbers: The Status Of Organ Donation In India

The NDTV-Fortis More To Give campaign focuses on spreading awareness about organ donation. Here are some numbers that convey the pressing need for more people to step up and donate their organs.

The Number of Donors :

While 36 persons per million of population donated organs in Spain in 2014, 35 donated in Croatia, 27.02 donated in the United States, and only 0.34 donated in India.

Severe lack of organs and poverty are the reasons why illegal organ trading is thriving. Organ donation should not be an example of unethical commerce; we must restore its value.

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The high demand and poor supply of kidneys in the United States has widened over the years. This has resulted in many patients travelling abroad for transplant surgery. Some of the countries that have weak regulatory mechanisms have given in to the market forces and include India, Iran, China, Pakistan, Philippines, Brazil, Turkey, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Bulgaria, and Romania.

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The legislation called the Transplantation of Human Organ Act (THOA) was passed in India in 1994 to streamline organ donation and transplantation activities. Broadly, the act accepted brain death as a form of death and made the sale of organs a punishable offence. With the acceptance of brain death, it became possible to not only undertake kidney transplantations but also start other solid organ transplants like liver, heart, lungs, and pancreas.

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