Call to donate organs

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, NOV. 16. The Minister for Mines and Geology, Ms. Uma Madhava Reddy, has urged people to donate their organs so that patients suffering from incurable diseases will get a new lease of life through cadaver transplant.

Speaking at a ceremony to mark the `nirvana' of Bhagwan Mahavira and the foundation day of the Mahavir Hospital and Research Centre, she applauded the charitable role of the institution and said that spreading the message of cadaver transplant was another manifestation of the Jain philosophy of `ahimsa'.

Dr. S. Sahariah said that over one lakh new patients with kidney failure were added every year to the country's population, while in the last 20 years only about 15,000 kidney transplants had taken place. The main reason for this was paucity of organ donors since almost all transplants were from live donors. He stressed the need to spread the message of cadaver transplant among the general public and said that a healthy person on death could contribute his heart, lungs, liver, two kidneys and two eyes to people in need of these organs.

The hospital started a donor card system, whereby people could pledge their organs. Those interested should contact the Mahavir Kidney Foundation on phone numbers 339-1463 and 339-3067.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Southern States
Previous : New telecom facilities hailed
Next     : Meet on ragging a damp squib