Saving lives is good karma

The only hope for patients suffering from organ failure is transplantation. However, there’s a universal shortage of donors, largely due to lack of information, misconceptions and ignorance. Nowhere is this truer than in India where fear of violating the sanctity of the deceased and other myths contribute to keeping donor numbers abysmally low. This has to change, stress doctors and activists.
DON’T SAVE FOR ‘AFTERLIFE’
Dr Ajay Sharma, CMD and founder of Eye Q, a superspeciality hospital in Gurgaon, says,"During my interaction with patients, I have felt that the fear of donation is just as real for some people as the fear of death. The biggest myth is the belief in life after death. Many people think if they donate an organ, they will have to survive without it in their afterlife."
DONORS DON’T PAY
Experts agree that ignorance is a big hurdle. Reshma Budhia , co-founder of Bangalore-based Gift Your Organ Foundation, says,"Common fears include burdening the family with the expense of donating one’s organs, or that one’s organs might not be healthy enough for harvesting . We have to reiterate that donors are not charged anything and it’s actually the doctor’s call whether an organ is healthy or not."
UNHEALTHY ORGAN? LET THE DOCTOR DECIDE
Adds Ajay Sharma of Eye Q:"It’s a myth that if people have weak eyes, they cannot donate. If you have a healthy cornea — the black part of the eye — you can donate even if you have a weak retina. At the time of death, the entire eyeball is taken out but ultimately only the cornea is used."
NO PERSONALITY CHANGE
The psychological impact of transplants is also feared. A recent study by the University of Michigan — conducted in India and US and published in the journal Cognitive Science — found that participants from both countries didn’t like transplants from donors with negative traits. Indians felt more strongly that transplants would affect their behaviour. Recipients preferred to get an organ, DNA transplant or blood transfusion from a donor whose personality matched theirs. The authors were surprised: "Since blood transfusions are so common… we had expected people might think they have very little effect."
BODIES AREN’T DISFIGURED
People are also afraid that cadaveric donation leaves the body disfigured . But doctors actually take care to prevent that."The human body is sacred. Organ removal will not disfigure or alter the appearance of the body nor will it interfere with the customary funeral or burial arrangements. After surgery, the body is stitched up very carefully," says Dr Subash Gupta, chief liver transplant surgeon, Apollo Hospitals and patron, Gift A Life.
Dr Neelam Mohan, director of pediatric hepatology and transplantation at Medanta , Gurgaon, adds that there’s a real need to educate the families of potential donors too."People don’t realise that even if the deceased has pledged to donate, the family can still override that wish," she says.
LIFE IS SACRED
Potential donors need not worry that hospital staff will not work as hard to save their lives. Bhavna Chhabaria, CEO of NGO Shatayu, says,"The quality of your care will not change, regardless of your decision to donate. Organ donation takes place only after all efforts to save your life have been exhausted and death has been declared. The doctors involved in saving your life are entirely different from the team involved in recovering organs and tissues."
Believe in saving lives, not in myths.