A dis-organ-ised affair

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal"><span style="" font-style:="" italic="">The organ donation drive in the city has proved to be a dampener as pledging does not translate into donation most of the time, say doctors</span><br /><br />Organ donation has successfully given people a new lease of life the world over. But back home, the advantages of this system have been sadly underutilised.Registries have been set up to ensure easy availability of organs such as kidney, liver, eye and heart but the shortage of these vital organs has resulted in long waiting lists. <br /><br />"Usually, at any given time, around 250 patients apply with the registry for kidney donation," says Dr Vatsala Trivedi, secretary, Zonal Co-ordination Committee for Cadaver Transplant, and, on an average, only about 24 people manage to get a kidney in a year. "The need for organ donation is much more than what is available." When it comes to liver, the list registers around 30 to 35 patients, while for a heart transplant, it is around six. And while the waiting period for eye transplant has reduced to six months from two year, thanks to the increase in the number of people registering for cornea transplant, doctors still think it''s a long way from an ideal situation yet. <br /><br />So, why aren''t these registries working with efficacy? "Firstly, there is no identification of brain-dead people," says Dr Bharat Shah, a nephrologist with Hinduja Hospital. "Besides, family consent is required to remove a organ which, in most cases, is not available. Also, as per the law, organ donation can only take place in certain centres." <br /><br />Given the poor response, the eye donation drive has now taken a different turn altogether. "Individual pledging of eyes doesn''t necessarily translate into donation as family members do not give consent later," says Dr Nisheeta Agarwala, an opthalmic surgeon and Chairman, Eye Bank Co-ordination and Research Centre (EBCRC), Mumbai. "Besides, it is possible that a person who had pledged donation earlier, moves out of the city or country and may not be traceable. That is why we are encouraging families to pledge together whereby interested donors inform their near and dear ones and in case of their demise, the family members can fulfil their pledge." <br /><br />However, more than maintaining anything else, awareness is the need of the hour to bolster the cause of organ donation in a country like ours, says Rekha Mehta, administrator, EBCRC. "One can maintain a registry, but until people come forward, especially family members, there will be little progress," she concludes.</div> </div>