HYDERABAD: The families of organ donors witnessed a bittersweet moment on Monday at the 10th felicitation ceremony of Telangana’s Jeevandan Organ Donor programme. In 2019, as many as 430 organs were donated through Jeevandan, and a total of 2,766 organs were donated since 2013 under the organ donation programme.
State Health Minister Eatala Rajender congratulated the hospitals and the officials who helped make the scheme a success, and commended the families who were brave and kind enough to consent to the cadaver donation of their kin. "Consenting to such a decision when you have just lost a loved one is an incredibly difficult task. I appreciate the courage of the families who have given other people a new lease of life. The Jeevandan scheme is the leading organ donation scheme in the entire country, and the government will take more steps to spread awareness about the same," said the minister.
A Mohammed, one of the recipients of the organ donation scheme said, “I was on dialysis for over a year, and could not work. My kidney was completely defunct. Someone saved my life by donating their organs via this scheme, and I would like to thank them and the Osmania Hospital for giving my kids and wife their happiness and hope back.”
Dr Vinil Kumar, a dentist, lost his wife to an aneurysm in August. He told Express, “As I am a doctor, I knew the importance of organ donation. So I did not hesitate when the hospital authorities approached me. This is a bittersweet moment for me and my daughter. We miss her, but we know she saved a life.”
Doctors’ role in convincing donor kin
Explaining to the kin of the deceased why organ donation is important and counselling them to make a decision in a matter of hours is, needless to say, difficult. Elaborating on this, Dr Bhanu Chander, co-ordinator of Jeevandan at Osmania Hospital, said, "We first speak to the family who are available onsite. It is usually easier, when the doctors give us 10-12 hours to preserve the body. But in some cases the family, sitting hundreds of kilometres away has to decide within a matter of two hours. Further, most of the relatives refuse to donate their kins' organs because they are scared of the backlash in their village."