Life after death is a strong belief and is an ongoing process of rebirth. It is believed that the law of Karma decides which way the soul will go in the next life. The Bhagavad Gita describes mortal body and immortal soul simply as the relationship of clothes to a body:
“Vasamsi jirnani yatha vihaya navani grhnati naro ‘parani tatha sarirani vihaya jirnany anyani samyati navandi dehi” – Bhagavad Gita, chapter 2:22
Bhagavad Gita, chapter 2:22
Just like a person puts on new cloths giving up the old ones, similarly the soul accepts new material bodies giving up the old and useless ones.
So above belief states that old material body is given up and is considered useless, but actually these are not useless but priceless.
Organ and tissue donation
Organ donation is the gift of an organ to help someone else who needs an organ transplant. Donated organ may be either from a deceased or from a living donor. Many lives are saved each year by organ transplants. Organ Donation is an individual choice and views about this differ even within the same religious groups.
- Living donor: A person during his life can donate one kidney (the other kidney is capable of maintaining the body functions adequately for the donor), a portion of pancreas (half of pancreas is adequate for sustaining its functions) and a part of the liver (segments of liver will regenerate after a period of time).
- Deceased donor: A person after his/her death(brain-stem/cardiac), can donate multiple organs and tissues. The organ continues to live in another person’s body. Organs that can be donated by people who have died include the Kidneys, Liver, Lungs, Heart, pancreas and small bowel. The tissues such as skin, bone, heart valves and corneas can also be used.
Age limit for organ donation
Depending upon whether it is living or cadaver donation age limit varies; for example in living donation, prospective donor should be above 18 year of age, and for most of the organs deciding factor is the donor’s physical condition and not the age. Specialist healthcare professionals decide which the organs are suitable case to case. Even the organs and tissue from people in their 70s and 80s have been transplanted successfully all over the world. In the case of tissues and eyes, age usually doesn’t matter. A deceased donor can generally donate the Organs & Tissues with the age limit of:
- Kidneys, liver : up-to 70 years
- Heart, lungs : up-to 50 years
- Pancreas, Intestine : up-to 60-65 years
- Corneas, skin : up-to 100 years
- Heart valves : up-to 50 years
- Bone : up-to 70 years
Who can be a Donor?
- Living donor: Any person not < 18 years of age and who voluntarily authorizes the removal of any of his organ and/or tissue during his or her lifetime as per prevalent medical practices for treatment purposes.
- Deceased donor: Anyone, after his or her death (Brainstem/Cardiac), regardless of age, race or gender, can become an organ and tissue donor. The consent of a near relative or a person in lawful possession of the dead body is required before donation. If the deceased donor is under the age of 18 years, then the consent is essentially required from one of the parents or any near relative authorized by the parents. Medical suitability for donation is determined by medical team at the time of death.
How can I be a Donor, What is the process of taking donor pledge?
You can be a donor by expressing your wish in the authorized organ and tissue donation form (Form-7) and send signed copy to NOTTO at below mentioned address:
“NATIONAL ORGAN AND TISSUE TRANSPLANT ORGANISATION
4th Floor, NIOP Building, Safdarjung Hospital Campus, New Delhi-110029, INDIA”
You can fill up an online pledge to donate your organs.
Do I need to always carry my donor card?
Yes, it will be helpful for your family and for the health professionals.
Do I need to register my pledge with more than one organizations?
No, if you have already pledged with one Organization & received a Donor Card, you need not register with any other.
Can a person, without a family, register for pledge?
Yes, you can pledge, but you need to preferably inform the person closest to you in your life, a friend of long standing or a very close colleague, about your decision. To fulfill your donation wishes, healthcare care professionals will need to speak to persons at the time of your death for the consent.
Can I change my mind to un-pledge after registering my pledge?
Yes, you can un-pledge by making a call to the NOTTO office or write or visit NOTTO website www.notto.gov.in and avail of the un-pledge option by logging into your account. Also, let your family members know that you have changed your mind regarding organ donation pledge.
Are donors screened for transmissible disease?
Yes, Blood is taken from all potential donors and tested to rule out transmissible diseases and viruses such as HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. The family members of potential donor are made aware that this procedure is required.
Can I be a donor if I am suffering from medical condition?
Yes, in most of the situations you can be a potential donor. Suffering from a medical condition does not always prevent a person from becoming an organ or tissue donor. The decision about whether some or all organs or tissue are suitable for transplant is made by a healthcare professional i.e. transplant team, taking into account your medical history.
In very rare case scenarios, the organs of donors with HIV or hepatitis-C have been used to help others with the same conditions. This is only ever carried out when both recipient and donor have the condition. All donors are subjected to rigorous checks to guard against infection.
Can I become an organ donor, if I have been rejected previously to donate blood?
Yes, The decision about whether some or all organs or tissue are suitable for transplant is always made by a transplant specialist, taking into account your medical history. There may be specific reasons why it has not been possible to donate blood, such as having hepatitis in the past or having anaemia or had a blood transfusion or there may be other reasons why you could not donate blood because of your health status at that time. Sometimes a simple condition like a cold or medication that you are taking can prevent anyone from donating blood. But this is not the case with organ donation.
What is the difference between an organ donation and whole body donation?
The organ donation for therapeutic purposes comes under the preview of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act (THOA 1994). The whole body donation is covered under the Anatomy Act 1984.
Organ donation is defined as the act of giving life to others after death by donating his/her organs to the needy suffering from end stage organ failure.
Body donation is defined as the act of giving one’s body after death for medical research or education. Those donated cadavers remain an important teaching tool for anatomists and medical educators teaching gross anatomy and surgical dissection.
Can a dead body be used for medical education or research after the organs have been retrieved for organ donation?
No, if organs have been removed for organ donation or post mortem examination has been conducted due to any reason, the bodies are not accepted for teaching purposes. However, in case if only corneas are to be donated, then body can be left for education or research.
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