India

Country  faces  shortage  of cadavers

By  our  Special Correspondent

New  Delhi, July 15 (IVC) The  Union Health Ministry  has appealed to  the  States  and Union Territories  to  encourage donation of bodies in the event of deaths happening outside  hospitals for the   country  was  facing  shortage cadavers for  academic and research  purposes.

                In a note  to  the  Health  Secretaries , the  Director  General  of Health Services, Atul Goel  said  the  Union Government was  committed  to  promoting  and augmenting  organ  donation  to  save  the  lives  of  those  with  organ failures.   In most  of  the  cases, organ donation was  feasible only  from  patients certified as  brain stem  dead (before the  heart  stops).

                On many  occasions, it was  noted that  organ donations were  not  possible in situations where  deaths  occurred  outside  the hospital, cardiac deaths  occurring  before  the  patients got  admitted to  intensive  care  unit, and  deaths before  the  completion of  brain stem death certification, the  said.

                Under  such  situations and also in deaths  happening at  home, body  donation  is  possible.”The donated human bodies are  required  for  academic  and  research purposes, which  aids in better teaching  of  medical  professionals.  We  have  a  shortage of human cadavers  required for  teaching in the  country, Professor Goel  said.

                Asking  the  State  Health Secretaries to  instruct the  stakeholders accordingly, he  said, in scenarios  where organ donation  was  not  possible, the  option of  body donation   could be explored and  family members  encouraged and  facilitated for  the  same.  “This  will  go  a long  way  in offsetting  the shortage of human cadavers in medical  institutions”.

                In  a  separate communication,  the  Health Ministry  informed  that as  part  of the Indian Organ  Donation Day  on August  03,  it  had  been decided  to  organize  a public awareness campaign in the name of Angdaan Jan  Jagrukta Abhinyaan. “One  organ donor can  save  up  to eight or nine lives”, Union Health  Secretary, Apurva  Chandra said.

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