JOIN USAzad, a devout Muslim, felt that the minority community should come forward in organ donation as Islam does not believe in rebirth or reincarnation – a religious concept because of which many Hindus are not enthused about donating their organs after their death.
The organ donation scenario in India had been compounded by the (Hindu) religious belief on rebirth, which suggested that if a person donated any of his or hers organs, in the next birth, he or she would come to the earth without those organs, Azad said on Saturday at a conference here to celebrate the first Indian organ donation day.
“That’s why Muslims should come forward as they don’t believe in rebirth,” he said. Even though the Transplantation of Human Organ Act was passed way back in 1994, cadaver transplant has barely picked up primarily due to lack of awareness and religious beliefs.
“Every year 90,000 people die in road accidents and stroke kills another 50,000. This means 1,40,000 potential cadaver donors. Even if we get one-third of them, there will not be any dearth of organs,” Azad said, adding that it was paradoxical for a country with 1.2 billion population to have a shortage of organs.
Hundreds of thousands of people die each year due to organ failure. A large number of them could be saved if replacement organs are available. But barring TN and AP, organ donation has not picked up in most of the states. AIIMS in the Capital, for instance, carries out 130-140 kidney transplants every year, with the bulk coming either from parents or spouse.