THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Two years ago, Noushad was waiting in the corridors of a private hospital at Kochi. His daughter was undergoing a surgery. Amidst prayers for his daughter, for the first time in his life, he encountered the travails of patients who are in need of organ transplantation.
Once his daughter was brought back to the house, he wanted to do something that could create awareness on organ donation, a humanitarian act which is currently a hot topic of discussion in Kerala. The recent incident where the family of a 46-year-old advocate Neelakanda Sarma from Peroorkada, Thiruvananthapuram donated his organs post death prompted him on his efforts.
Thus was formed the Trivandrum Organ Donor Charitable Foundation with 10 members at its helm. The motto? ‘ Gift an organ. Gift a life’.
But the real challenge was convincing his mother and wife regarding his decision to donate organs after his death. “ They were aghast. The reality struck me for the first time. Whenever, I raised this topic, they would literally run away from me. Finally, after six months, they relented,” said Noushad M who is also the general secretary of Trivandrum Organ Donor Charitable Foundation.
For Noushad, creating awareness regarding the act started right from his home. Now, among the 23 people who have signed the consent letter to donate organs include his wife and mother. He said they received the donors within a month. They hope to make it nearly 50 within no time.
“ The consent and the open heartedness of the family members are of prime importance when it comes to organ donation. Even if I give my consent letter to donate my organs after death, if my parents or nearest kin are not willing, it will not serve the purpose, he said.
Noushad even went door-to-door explaining that Islam, his religion, did not prevent believers from donating organs. “ For this, I went to every house in our locality with Al- Mafaz, edited by Imam of Valiyapalli, Manacaud, Abdul Ghafor Moulavi to every house,” he explained.
The other committee members also include Dr Suhana Nasreen, president of the foundation, Dr Meer Chisthi, Assistant Professor and Surgeon, Thiruvananthapuram Medical College, Dr Shiya Mohammed, vice-president, Kasturbha Medical college, Manipal, Amanat Sahurudeen ( secretary ), Dr Kashi Vishwanath, Aswathy dental clinic, Anil Sreenivas and Razin Fathima.
The foundation gives priority to conducting camps and awareness classes. Dr Meer Chisthi holds the awareness classes. Regarding the expenses for the venture, the committee members have all decided to spend one percent of their salary for the cause. “ The registration department has asked us to levy a registration fee of Rs 100. But we are not even imposing that. We just need like-minded people to come forward,” he concluded. The foundation will soon approach Kerala Network of Organ Sharing.