Ballari, Dharwad lead state in organ donation pledges

Organ and tissue donation pledges have peaked in Dharwad and Ballari districts. They have outperformed not only other districts in Karnataka, but also made a mark across South India.

Ballari stands first not only in Karnataka, but also in South India in organ donation, while Dharwad occupies second position.

While Dharwad recorded 9,006 organ donation pledges this year, Ballari topped the state with over 9,273 registrations.

In an effort to facilitate access to life-saving organs and tissues for patients in need, the Union Ministry of Health has launched the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) under Ayushman Bharat health programme.

Through this initiative, individuals can register to donate their organs or tissues, giving the invaluable ‘gift of life.’

To raise awareness, the health department has been conducting campaigns, appealing to people to pledge their organs and tissues to help save lives.

District health officer Dr S M Honakeri emphasised that organ donation in India still needed a significant boost.

Currently, the donation rate stands at a mere 0.65 donors per million population.

To increase participation, the department is actively reaching out to communities to encourage people to pledge their organs, through awareness drives and camps.

Although progress is being made, statistics show that public response is still below expectations.

Over the past year, Karnataka has registered 38,412 donors, securing its position as the top-performing state in South India.

For comparison, Andhra Pradesh has 8,502 registrations, Telangana 14,514, Tamil Nadu 10,516 and Kerala 6,132.

Among districts Bagalkot has 396 registrations, Belagavi 1,273, Gadag 439, Haveri 1,154, Uttara Kannada 623, Mysuru 644, Kalaburagi 409, Vijayapura 315, Bengaluru Urban 2,654 and Bengaluru Rural 574.

Dr Honakeri explained that there are four types of organ donations: Deceased donation, living donation, tissue donation and paediatric donation. A single donor can save up to a minimum of six lives by donating vital organs such as heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys. Tissue donations can include bone marrow, skin, bones, corneas and tendons.

The health department has been conducting extensive outreach, visiting colleges and communities and opening registration centres at mega government programmes to promote the cause.

In Dharwad district alone, over 300 awareness camps have been organised in the past 10 months, resulting in over 9,000 donor pledges.

Health commissioner K B Sivakumar said compared to other states, Karnataka has set a record by enrolling highest number for organ donation. 

The registration in some districts is low and hence, the department has decided to intensify ECs (educative campaigns) in these districts. Zone-wise EC activities are conducted.

This apart, the department has also decided to honour organ donors through Chief Minister Siddaramaiah so that it motivates others to voluntarily register their names for organ donation.

“We often hear heartbreaking stories of people desperately in need of organ transplants — especially accident victims, people born with congenital conditions or those affected by natural disasters. Many of them are from poor backgrounds and can’t afford treatment abroad. That moved me to pledge my organs. I’ve also encouraged my peers and family members to do the same, ” said Arvind S, a BSc student from Dharwad. 

Those interested in donating their organs or tissues can visit the official website: notto.abdm.gov.in and register using their Aadhaar number.