A new drive for organ donation

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If all goes well, then very soon your driving licence will have an organ donation mention. According to reports, the Union Health Ministry has sent a letter to chief minister Sheila Dikshit and health minister Dr A.K. Walia in this regard. The letter proposes to turn Delhi into a model state by providing information on willingness to donate one’s organs after death on the licence.
The health department plans to introduce two options — first, indicating willingness for organ donation and second, lack of it. Licence holders will be asked to highlight their preferred option.
Former director general of Health Services R.K. Srivastava informs that this proposal was sent to the government last year on the occasion of Organ Donation Day and that if implemented it’s going to be a life saver for accident victims. Srivastava adds, “If a person has pledged his organs beforehand and it’s mentioned on his driving licence, it can save a life without any hitch. It gets difficult to convince family members later.”
A first for any country, if this proposal is approved, it’s an important step in the direction of organ donation and also spreading awareness about the cause. Social media consultant and trainer Prateek Shah believes, “Organ donation is an important way to help others and the introduction of registering for the same at the time of getting your license will go a long way in making people turn donors. People have always wanted to take such steps but due to the tedious processes they refrain from the same.”
Whether Delhi becomes a model state or not will largely depend on how this initiative is handled. Surbhit Kant Dixit, founder of Hindustan Motorcycling Company (HMC) says, “Good thought, will definitely save lives, but I am not sure how this is going to make Delhi a ‘model state’. There is a sharp increase in accident-related deaths and we should work towards motivating people for lane driving as well. But organ donation is really going to eliminate problems faced by hospitals in convincing family members to donate organs of loved ones immediately after their death.”
But he hopes this drive doesn’t become a cursory mention. “I used to donate blood often, but when I was in need of three units of blood for my grandmother, I was told by the hospital, “Sirji, ye to hamare zone ka card nahin hai. And that time I had four cards for blood donation. Similarly, I donated my eyes in Class 7 in school. But now, I don’t have any document to prove that I’ve donated my eyes, and I am sure the school authorities also don’t have any data,” shares Surbhit.
However, some are optimistic about the proposal. Tabrez Ahmad, media professional mentions, “Organs like heart and kidney are invaluable and often unavailable unlike blood banks, we have not taken to the idea of organ banks because of its inherent impossibility! Introducing the mention of organ donation on the licence will put the organs of those who succumb to accidents to the best possible use.”
Designer Anuradha Ramam agrees, “This is an important move and it will bring about a discernable change towards life and death.”