Chennai:
Thousands of people need organ transplants in India but the waiting list for organs is arduously long because the brain dead cadaver donation programme is still in its nascent stage. However, in Tamil Nadu the change has happened.
Two years ago, Dr Pushpanjali Ashokan in Tamil Nadu donated allorgans of her son Hithendran, declared brain dead following a roadaccident. This incident served as a turning point and the state now ranks number one in multiple organ donation.
"Even though you are losing a loved one after brain death yet you can feel comforted that his organs are going to stay in somebody's body. In fact this way he's going to live again." said Dr Ashokan.
Last year, Tamil Nadu alone registered 59 cadaver transplants. This is 10 times the national average.
But change came after a lot of path breaking work.
First, the state laid down a clear procedure to certify the brain dead. Later, it prepared an online registry of those in need of organs and both government and private hospitals began networking to share harvested organs. A green corridor was also set up by the police for vehicles transporting vital organs.
The state now aims to double its record in the next one year. So far, nearly already half a million people have pledged to donate their organs.
"We are going to train around 200 transplant coordinators and relief counsellors. They are the ones who act as a bridge between doctors and families of the brain dead. If we can have more such trained and knowledgeable people we can have more success." said Dr Sunil Shroff, managing trustee, Mohan Foundation.
Every year there are more than 70,000 brain deaths due to accidents alone. Each of them can save nine lives and Tamil Nadu is certainly setting a life saving model worth replicating in other states.