The idea of kidnapping an unknown person, administering carbon monoxide and harvesting their organs may make a thrilling plot for a movie, but transplantation experts say storylines like this prove to be a setback to the efforts to promote cadaver organ transplantation.
Two movies were recently released — Kaaki Sattai and Yennai Arindhaal — that dealt with organ smuggling. “While movies like this may be fun to watch, they often prove detrimental to the organ donation movement,” Sunil Shroff, managing trustee, MOHAN Foundation, said.
Complicated process
“Transplantation of organs is a very complicated process, and the laws are strictly implemented. It is impossible to run an organ racket the way they are portrayed in films,” he said. For live donors, only blood relatives — mother, father, brother, sister or child — can donate. If the donation is from another source, then the authorities have to be convinced that it is for an altruistic purpose.
There are a number of factual errors in these movies, which could create panic among the public. For example, if a patient is given carbon monoxide to induce brain death, all the other organs too will be useless. “Even kidneys cannot be stolen from a living person, and a number of tests have to be done to see if there is a match before they can be transplanted,” Dr. Shroff said.
Speaking of another movie, Chennaiyil Oru Naal , J. Amalorpavanathan, Convenor, State Cadaver Transplant Programme, said that though the movie created a lot of awareness on organ donation, there were some serious problems with the plot.
“In the movie, a heart is given to an actor’s daughter because the Minister makes a phone call and makes a request. This is not only illegal, but it does not happen anywhere in the world,” he said.
“A number of movies are being shot without consulting with doctors or experts. More care should be exercised when it comes to sensitive issues like organ donation,” he added.
Sumana Navin, course director, MOHAN Foundation, said disregarding facts often confused even health care professionals.
“We had a training programme with nurses in Salem, where a lot of them were citing instances from the movies and asking if that was possible. While the professionals know that what they are seeing is untrue, when it is on screen, it often sparks doubt,” she said.
However, Dr. Amalorpavanathan says that despite the movies, the number of organ donors was on the rise across the country. “From a time when we were struggling to get even 10 cadaver donations in a month, we are seeing around 15 to 20 donors in the State every month. There has been an increase in cadaver donations in other States too,” he said.
Film-makers, however, should consult with professionals to ensure that their movies are based on medical facts, he added.
