Organ Donation Day 2020: How to be an Organ Donor

One person donating his/her organs can save eight lives at once. In addition to this, the said person’s tissue and corneas can drastically improve the lives of another 75 people. Therefore, just by signing up to donate organs after death can make a person a life-saving superhero for many others.

In the wake of COVID-19 outbreak, organ donations have reduced drastically, risking the lives of many more people. In fact, according to the data provided by Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC) in Mumbai, there is a 70% decline in organ donation between March and July as compared to the same period last year. In these difficult times, it is imperative that more of us register to be organ donors and give a new lease of life to someone else.

How to be an Organ Donor?

If one wishes to be an organ donor after their death, they need to register themselves as organ donors while they are alive. The process of registration is very simple. Anyone that is interested in donating organs can fill out an online pledge form at https://notto.gov.in. When a donor is registered, they are provided with a donor card with a unique government registration number.

Registering as an Organ donor is merely an expression of intent to be an Organ donor. The card that is sent to the donor does not carry any legal weight. However, it is a way to show family members and friends the intent and commitment for the cause. This way, if the family has doubts about whether they should go ahead with organ donation after the donors’ death, they can know the wish of the donor.

According to Indian law, it is the next of kin of the organ donor who decides whether to donate organs or not upon death. Even if the person has pledged their organs, no donation will happen unless the next of kin give their consent. Therefore, it is important for persons who are willing to be organ donors to discuss their wish to donate with their family and friends.

NGOs that facilitate Organ Donation in India

Gift Your Organ Foundation – Gift Your Organ Foundation works to promote and educate people on deceased organ donations. The foundation serves to bridge the gap in the functioning between the government, the hospitals and the organ donors. Further, it serves as a national registry for those interested in pledging their organs in the possible event of brain death. This registry is linked to and has the support of The Zonal Co-ordination Committee for Transplantation in Karnataka (ZCCK) – a Government of Karnataka body.

Donate Life – Donate Life organization is doing wide-range of efforts to spread awareness about organ donation and in making the process smoother. The NGO bears medical expenses for keeping brain-dead patients in good condition before Cadaver Organ Donation can take place. They also bear transportation expenses of cadaver donor’s dead bodies from one city to anywhere in India, with the help of Surat Municipal Corporation. In addition to this, the organization also bears the education expenses of children of cadaver donors in cases where the donor was the only earning member of the family.

Mohan Foundation – MOHAN Foundation is a not-for-profit, NGO started to promote organ donation in 1997 in Chennai by philanthropists and medical professionals. The foundation has its offices in Chennai, Hyderabad, Delhi-NCR, Chandigarh, Nagpur, Jaipur, Mumbai and USA. MOHAN Foundation carries out various activities in the field of organ donation. It issues donor cards in different languages and conducts organ donation awareness campaigns. It also publishes the Indian Transplant Newsletter which carries national and international transplant news and keeps track of the Indian cadaver transplant programme. In addition to this, the foundation has started a Patient Support Group (PSG) for the benefit of the organ failure patients and their families to give them a platform to discuss their problems with each other and also interact with a panel of experts comprising doctors, dietitians, and counsellors. Mohan foundation also maintains Indian Network for Organ Sharing (INOS) in Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh to facilitate Organ Donations in India.