Need for better organ donation rate in the country: Cherian

There is a poor organ donation rate of 0.26 per million in India, K.M. Cherian, founder of Frontier Lifeline Hospital, said on Tuesday.

Speaking on the occasion of World Organ Donation Day, he said Spain, Croatia and the U.S. perform much better in this aspect.

He recollected how the first transplant happened way back in 1995 and nowadays, it had become a common surgery.

“In the year 2017, Tamil Nadu was crowned the best State in terms of organ donation because from 173 donors, 673 organs were harvested,” he said.

He noted that they had initiated growing solid organs like kidneys, livers, hearts and lungs using biological scaffolds, like shark fins, in their research laboratories.

An important decision

Susan Grace, Consul General, Australia, said it was important that people discuss with their family and friends before pledging to be a donor.

“Sometimes, the family of the donor don’t consent when the time comes. So people should talk about their wishes to their family,” she added.

Rohit Rajendran, recipient of a heart, said he was initially reluctant to get a transplant done but did so after some persuasion.

“I went through it and I’m happy that I got it done; I feel much better now,” Mr. Rajendran said.