NEW DELHI: To mark National Organ Donation Day and honour the donors whose contributions gave a lease of lives to critically ill patients, Manipal Hospital in Dwarka, dedicated a memorial to them called ‘The Tree of Life’ at an event on Friday.
Doctors said the move is aimed to celebrate the spirit of selflessness which saves the lives of many people who would otherwise die from end-stage organ failure. The memorial is an impression of a tree engraved on a wall situated at the hospital’s reception. The leaves on the depicted tree carry the details of the cadaver donors including their names and the date they donated the organs.
The hospital felicitated the families of the donors who saved multiple lives in their death by donating their organs. The families were honored with Indian Postal Service stamps carrying the picture and name of the donor. Dr Viji Varghese, director of Manipal Hospital, said that the awareness of organ donation remains low among common man, limiting the potential to save many lives.
“The demand for organ transplants has increased, and this has made it imperative for more and more individuals to join the cause,” he said. “Cadaver donors are those people whose organs (heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, pancreas) are donated after they are declared brain dead. Their families play an instrumental role in the noble act of saving other lives despite grieving for the loss of their loved ones.,” the director said.