Dr. Ravi Wankhede of MOHAN Foundation, Nagpur was invited to Sevagram on 25th March 2015 to volunteer his expertise on organ donation and deceased organ transplantation. The lecture was jointly organized by the department of Anatomy and the Academy of Medical Sciences. The MGIMS faculty and Wardha-based public activists representing two non-government organizations attended his talk.
“More than 500,000 people die in India every year from organ failure without any hopes of receiving a organ transplant: end-stage liver disease kills 200,000 people; severe heart failure takes away 50,000 people and 150,000 people await a kidney transplant but only 5,000 get one. Close to 1,000,000 people suffer from corneal blindness and await transplant,”
“Although India is home to 1.2 billion people, less than one organ donation is reported for every million people. Europe and the US touch 36 for every million. If India is able to achieve a number of 2 organ donors per million people, the waiting lists for organ transplant would simply vanish”
“Organ donation depends on consent from family members—often shaped by cultural, religious and societal factors. These factors, and lack of public awareness often prevents families from giving consent,” said Dr. Wankhede.
He narrated the story of Zoya Rana, a young girl who was declared brain dead. Explaining brain death to the family was a challenging task, Dr. Wankhede and his team helped the family understand the greater good of organ donation. Overcome with grief and deep sorrow, her parents mustered enough courage and donated her cornea and kidneys.
He explained the concept of brain death, Transplantation of Human Organs Act and clarified misinformation, misconceptions and myths surrounding organ donation
He addressed such voiced and unvoiced queries from the audience as: “Who can donate? Which organs and tissues can be donated? Is there an age limit for the donations? How does organ donation help patients with failed kidneys and liver?”
Dr. Wankhede suggested that MGIMS should immediately apply for establishment of Non Transplant Organ Retrieval Centre (NTORC). Once MGIMS gets a consenting nod from the Government, plastic surgeons from Nagpur can join hands with MGIMS to retrieve and harvest skin from the brain dead patients—an act that can save lives of burn victims. MGIMS doctors have already plans afoot to create awareness of organ donation and to upgrade the hospital for organ donations and harvesting.
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