Leading healthcare professionals, hospitals, NGO’s, media and other stakeholders from Karnataka have come together to promote the cause of cadaver transplant and its importance. Key representatives of the group joined hands and made a pledge to set up an industry initiative that works towards the cause of building awareness and implementing various programmes towards this end.
Some of the major people who partnered for the initiative include Dr Nandakumar Jairam, Columbia Asia Hospitals; Dr Govindaiah Yatheesh, Apollo Hospital; Dr Julius Punnen, Narayana Hrudayalaya; Dr Deepak Balani, Fortis Hospital; Dr Sonal Asthana, Global Hospital; Dr Ramesh D, MS Ramaiah Hospital; Dr Biswarup Pal, Vikram Hospital; Dr Sudarshan Ballal, Manipal Hospital; Commodore Indru Wadhwani, Mallya Hospital; Dr Alex, Baptist Hospital; and Dr Madan Gaikwad, Sagar Hospital among others.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Nandakumar Jairam, Group Medical Director and Chairman of Columbia Asia Hospitals, said, “The industry initiative will be led by distinguished members of the healthcare industry and other important stakeholders including ZCCK, Gift Your Organ and Mohan’s Foundation. Our objective is to create awareness, educate and encourage the masses on the importance of Cadaver Transplant.”
He adds, “This part of medical science is particularly gratifying as it also means that one can continue to live and contribute to the improvement of life through others even after death. However societal pressures and red-tape in general have been slowing down the process to a great extent. We hope that through this initiative we will be enabling a platform for all concerned to address this issue in a unified manner with the support of industry experts drawn from different fields.”
Emphasising the need for such an initiative, Dr Sudarshan Ballal from Manipal Hospital said, “Cadaver Transplant in India is significantly low due to socio-cultural reasons. There is a lot of myth and misconception among the people including those who function at various levels in the line of treatment. There is a need to create a focused and a sustained awareness programme that hinges on education of masses including the medical fraternity, government authorities and other stakeholders involved in the process of Cadaver Transplant.”
“With so many life-threatening diseases and possibilities that target the organs, having donor organs is a struggle especially in Karnataka where the rate of organ donation stands at 10-12 per year. Hence, there is a huge void between the number of organs donated and the number of people waiting for a transplant in Karnataka. Karnataka ranks the lowest among all the southern states with close to 900 patients’ wait-listed under the Zonal Coordination Committee of Karnataka (ZCCK) for an organ transplant,” said Dr Ramesh D from M S Ramiah Hospital.
Commodore Indru Wadhwani from Mallya Hospital said, “It is critical that citizen’s forums and communities at various levels are reached out to with training programmes and such awareness initiatives to help them understand the nitty-gritty’s of cadaver transplant.”
Supporting the initiative, Dr Julius Punnen from Narayana Hrudayalaya said, “The aim is also to establish a working synergy between various stakeholders including hospitals, government authorities, NGOs and other parties involved in cadaver transplant. A mechanism that can support widespread engagement and eventually reach out to the masses at different levels.”
According to Dr Madan Gaikwad from Sagar Hospital, “There is a need to educate the medical fraternity who deal with such cases regularly. Workshops and training modules for medical and paramedical staff would help in a comprehensive result oriented approach.”
Dr Sonal Asthana from Global hospitals was of the view that “sensitising the other stake holders, like religious leaders so that the communities can be motivated towards the cause. Also the family of the donor being the decision maker for organ donation underlines the fact that awareness campaigns need to be targeted to the ‘family’, in addition to the ‘individual’.”
Dr Biswarup from Vikram Hospital added, “With the government of Karnataka taking interest in such an issue, this will certainly increase the rate of organ donations in the state. While the government is working on the regulations, the aware citizens need to support the government and work together to create awareness among the people of Karnataka.”
Dr Govindaiah Yatheesh from Apollo Hospital was of the opinion that issues regarding the cadaver transplant need to be addressed for better coordination within the medical fraternity at the time of transplant especially the ones relating to certifying a patient brain dead. Although, there is an immense support from the Bangalore Police, there is still a need for better coordination with the police authorities to hasten the process.
Dr Deepak Balani from Fortis Hospital stressed, “One cadaver organ donation has the potential of benefitting five recipients. This initiative therefore has the potential to change the fortune of a large number of patients who are currently waiting for donors.”
EH News Bureau
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