Extending his support to spreading awareness about organ donation in the country, cricketer Gautam Gambhir, leading by example, has pledged to donate his organs and also promised to speak and encourage other Indian cricketers to follow suit.
He took the pledge here on Thursday after launching ‘Gift a Life' initiative – a website supported by the Apollo Transplant Institutes -- to encourage people to take a pledge for donating organs to save countless lives in the process.
“Thousands die every year for want of organs and I feel that through this initiative we can do the society good as it helps us bridge the gap between the demand for these organs and their availability, I appeal to the media to create awareness about organ donation and would like to urge everyone to make this decision to donate their organs,” he said.
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The cricketer also inaugurated the website www.giftalife.org, a one stop destination for all questions about organ donation where the general public can also pledge to donate their organs. He also signed a ‘travelling wall' that will be taken around schools and colleges encouraging students to take the pledge.
The mission ‘Gift a Life' is an endeavour to ensure that no person in India dies for want of an organ. This public awareness initiative aims to bring together information and awareness on the issue of organ donation. The website endeavours to start and then sustain a movement on organ donation and awareness.
Apollo Hospital group medical director Dr. Anupam Sibal said: “We need to create awareness about organ donation in India. While in Spain 33 per million population organ donations take place, in our country the rate is 0.1 per million population. It is now more than 15 years since the law declaring brain death came into effect in India, yet there is limited awareness that one individual can gift lives to at least eight patients with organ failure. As a clinician it really pains to lose a child for the want of an organ.”
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Leading specialists from Apollo Hospitals were present at the inauguration of the website to extend their support to the programme.