The Gift of Life Beyond Life
World Organ Donation Day is observed on 13 August and focuses on raising awareness about organ donation and encourages people to consider giving the gift of life to someone in need. Organ transplantation as a reliable clinical treatment developed mainly during the 20th century. Sushruta Samhita (first millennium BC) describes reconstructive surgery using tissue taken from one part of a person’s body and used to repair another part (recorded in the Guinness World Records for the earliest documented medical transplant). Kidney and liver transplants dominate—the reasons: a person can donate a kidney while alive and part of a liver because the liver can regenerate substantially after surgery. Misconceptions surround organ donation: the fear that doctors may not try to save the patient if they are a registered donor, doubts about whether the funeral can be conducted in the usual way after organ donation. For the foreseeable future, every donated organ will remain precious. The most advanced work involves xenotransplantation, genetically modified pigs. Progress in regenerative medicine includes stem cells for creating replacement tissues and eventually complete organs. Â
From One Life to Another
World Organ Donation Day is observed on 13 August. It focuses on raising awareness about organ donation and encourages people to consider giving the gift of life to someone in need. Advances in medicine have given the capability of replacing a failing organ through transplantation. It can be realised only through organ donations by humans. Organ donation does not always occur after death. A living person can donate some organs or parts of organs.
Transplantation as a reliable clinical treatment developed mainly during the 20th century, with a dramatic breakthrough after the 1950s. The watershed event was 23 December 1954, when surgeons at Peter Bent Brigham Hospital in Boston performed the first successful human kidney transplant.
Ancient Indian traditions contain descriptions of surgery, tissue reconstruction and ideas about replacing or restoring body parts. Sushruta Samhita (first millennium BC) describes reconstructive surgery using tissue taken from one part of a person’s body and used to repair another part (recorded in the Guinness World Records for the earliest documented medical transplant). The Sushruta tradition is particularly relevant to organ donation because it demonstrates an early understanding of a principle that remains fundamental to transplantation.
Organ Donation Is Unusual Because It Requires Us to Think About Something That Most People Prefer to Avoid: Death.
National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation data indicates that in 2024, more than 15000 living organ donations and 1100 deceased organ donations happened in India. Even though the growth over the past decade is substantial, the number of deceased donors remains relatively small for a country of India’s population. Countries such as Spain and the US have high deceased-donor rates. Spain reported 53.9 and the USA 49.7 deceased donors per million population. For China, it is ~10 and for India, less than 1.
Kidney (64%) and liver (24%) transplants dominate. Kidney failure is becoming common, and a person can donate a kidney while alive. A living person can donate part of a liver because the liver can regenerate substantially after surgery. Shortages of hearts and lungs are also critical because living donors cannot supply these organs. Eye donation is one of the most accessible forms of deceased tissue donation. Unlike hearts or lungs, corneas can often be recovered from people who would not qualify as solid-organ donors.
Organ Donation Responds to A Social Necessity.
Pope Francis
Despite its potential, organ donation is surrounded by misconceptions. One of the fears is that doctors may not try to save me if I am a registered donor, and doubts about whether the funeral can be conducted in the usual way after organ donation. Donation does not generally prevent families from conducting a funeral or last rites according to their traditions.
The Dark Side of Organ Transplantation: When Donation Becomes Exploitation.
The distinction between donation and organ trafficking is crucial. A person’s decision to become an organ donor is deeply personal. Exploitation of economically vulnerable people is one of the most serious ethical problems surrounding organ transplantation. The world desperately needs more organs—but increasing the supply cannot come at the cost of exploiting poor people. The future of organ donation: For the foreseeable future, every donated organ will remain precious. A potentially revolutionary approach is xenotransplantation (using organs from animals for human transplantation). The most advanced work involves genetically modified pigs. Progress in regenerative medicine includes stem cells for creating replacement tissues and eventually complete organs.
Organ Donation Is a Remarkable Expression of Human Solidarity.
We spend much of our lives thinking about what we can give to the people around us—our time, knowledge, money, care and affection. Something extraordinary can happen when parts of you can continue in others beyond your life.
Toon: Shreya
Logs: M Sai Baba
ToonLogs
