Hyderabad: Young MBAs, engineering students and senior doctors of Yashoda Hospital, totalling 4,600 people, pledged to donate their organs during the Organ Donation Drive organised by the hospital along with the government’s Jeevandan Institute. The donors came to Shilpa Kala Vedika to pledge their organs.
The auditorium was packed to the capacity and everyone stood and took the oath with actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, who has also pledged to donate his organs.
The organ donation pledge is taken to certify that the individual, in a complete state of consciousness and knowledge, has agreed to donate his/her organs in case he/she is suffering from a fatal disease or in the event of their death. These will be cadaver donations, when the person is declared brain dead by the doctor. This statement is considered as an authentic acceptance by donors that their organs can be donated to those who require it.
Most of the young donors signed up for donation of all organs eyes, kidneys, liver, pancreas, heart and lungs. Natesh Raju, a second-year student, who came with a group of friends said, “We were not aware that one could be of use even after death.”
Nagarjuna, who also pledged his organs, said, “Only 0.26 per cent people in India are donating their organs, while it is 25 per cent in the US and 35 per cent in Spain. There is a very strong need to create awareness for this cause.”
The Jeevandan scheme of the government so far has conducted three programmes for awareness about organ donation. V.S. Anuradha of the Jeevandan scheme said, “Our online portal has 1,000 donors registered and these we have got in a span of the last two years. The scheme was started in 2013 and we have so far had 69 donors and 312 organs have been received under the scheme. We are appealing for more donors to come forward.”
B. Rangaswamy, 67, received a kidney transplant six years ago and was very happy to recount her tale. She says, “I was in a critical condition. I thank the donor on whose kidney I have survived.”
Meanwhile, in a slip of tongue, MD of Yashoda Hospitals Dr G.S. Rao addressed actor Nagarjuna as Nageswara Rao, reminding the superstar of his Late father. “My father wanted to donate his organs, but the doctors told him that it is not possible. Then he wanted to know if his pacemaker could be donated. This was agreed upon and we were asked to give the pacemaker to a needy person.”
