PANAJI
Over 100 students of the Goa Medical College, Bambolim on Saturday pledged their organs for donation in solidarity with the campaign for organ pledging flagged off by the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization, Goa (SOTTO-Goa).Flagging off the campaign, Dean Goa Medical College and Hospital Dr S M Bandekar reiterated the need for more and more people stepping forward to donate organs. Presently, the law only permits organ retrieval from brain death certified donors admitted to the ICU and two specific organs, kidney and liver, from live donors who are relatives of the recipient.
“Cadaver transplant is much easier and financially viable than live donor transplant. The obstacle is that when someone is brain dead, the relatives are already in grief. They cannot be expected to understand that organ donation is a noble concept in their moment of grief,” Dr Bandekar pointed out.
Joint Director SOTTO Goa Dr Preeti Varghese highlighted the ever-widening gap between the demand and availability of organs which negatively affected the patients on the waiting lists.
“The waiting time can be shortened only if the brain death certified potential donor family consents to organ donation. One donor can save eight lives through solid organ donation and improve the quality of life of 75 persons through tissue donation,” Dr Varghese said.
As part of the ongoing nationwide organ pledging campaign, SOTTO-Goa and students council of GMC organized a function to felicitate Bhal Shekhar Chilana and Namita Dutta, members of ‘The Cause Travellers’, who have set out on a 131 kms road trip to raise awareness about organ donation. The campaign aims to collect around 80,000 organ donor pledges.
The duo will interact with government agencies, NGOs, various societies, educational institutions to create public awareness about the need for organ donation and bust myths.
MOHAN foundation who are involved in various aspects of the deceased donor transplant program at the national as well as international level have partnered with The Cause Traveller for this campaign.
The nodal officer of the transplant program of Goa, Dr Bandekar released the QR code to pledge as organ donor. SOTTO Goa will be putting up posters with the QR code at various locations, hospitals and public places included.
