Mysuru district in-charge minister H C Mahadevappa, DC Lakshmikanth Reddy, Mysuru district health officer Dr P C Kumarswamy honour families of Cadaver Organ donors during the Republic Day celebration at Bannimantap ground in Mysuru on Sunday.
Credit: DH Photo
Mysuru: It was an emotional yet proud and inspirational moment during the Republic Day celebration at Bannimantap ground in Mysuru, as families of four cadaver organ donors were honoured during the occasion on Sunday.
Families of G Mahadevaswamy (34), Teju bai (56), C R Totappa (59) and R Vasundara (65) were honoured by Mysuru district in-charge minister H C Mahadevappa. Mysuru DC G Lakshmikanth Reddy, and Mysuru district health officer Dr P C Kumarswamy joined as well.
In order to recognise the kind gesture of such families, and to express the gratitude and appreciation of the government, the State Department of Health and Family Welfare, led by Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, decided to honour the families of the cadaver organ donors.
They passed an order on March 1, 2024, to present the Appreciation Certificates to honour those families. They are honouring them during Independence Day and Republic Day celebrations.
This step was taken mainly to inspire and encourage the donation of life-saving organs, to meet the shortage and help save the lives of individuals suffering from end-stage organ failure.
During 2024, families of as many as 162 brain-dead persons in the State have donated a total of 809 organs and tissues. They have donated 457 organs to the needy including 259 kidneys, 134 livers, 41 Hearts, 22 lungs, and one small bowel. They have also donated 13 sets of multiple organs including one set of lung and heart, four sets of kidney and pancreas, and eight sets of liver and kidney. They have also donated 339 tissues including 24 skin, 63 heart valves, and 252 corneas.
Organs were retrieved from 21 cadaver donors at BGS Apollo Hospital in Mysuru and 30 donors at Aster RV Hospital in Bengaluru -- two of the highest numbers in the state.
Jeevasarthakathe or SOTTO (State Organ Tissue and Transplant Organisation) of the Health Department which promotes organ donation and coordinates brain-dead donor transplantation in Karnataka shared this data.
SOTTO is witnessing a significant increase in the number of deceased organ donors. There were 68 in 2017; 89 in 2018; 105 in 2019; 35 in 2020; 70 in 2021; 151 in 2022; and 178 in 2023.
One organ donor can save eight lives. A heart, two kidneys, liver, pancreas, small intestine, and lungs can be donated. The same donor can save more than 50 lives through tissue donation. Tissues that can be donated include skin, bones, ligaments, heart valves, and eyes/cornea. There is no age limit for organ donation.
An individual can pledge for organ donation while alive, through the Jeevasarthakathe/SOTTO QR code/ National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation(NOTTO) QR code at respective web portals.