Kurnool, Aug 13: Organ donation is the only way a person can continue to live in another human being even after death, and every donated organ can become a source of hope for several families, said Dr. Anantha Rao, Consultant Nephrologist and Transplant Physician, KIMS Hospitals, Kurnool, on the occasion of International Organ Donation Day.
KIMS Hospitals, Kurnool, organised a special awareness rally on Thursday to promote organ donation and encourage more people to come forward as donors.
Addressing the participants, Dr. Anantha Rao said Kurnool was emerging as an important centre for organ transplantation and was steadily matching the standards of leading transplant centres in the country. He noted that chronic kidney disease was increasing at an alarming rate because of diabetes, hypertension, obesity, and lifestyle-related disorders, while the shortage of organ donors remained a major challenge despite a growing number of patients waiting for kidney transplantation.
He explained that living individuals could donate one kidney or a portion of the liver, but such decisions were taken only after comprehensive medical evaluation and with utmost priority to donor safety.
Dr. Anantha Rao also said KIMS Hospitals, Kurnool, was successfully performing ABO-incompatible kidney transplants, enabling transplantation even when the donor and recipient have different blood groups. Advances in medical technology, he said, had expanded transplant opportunities for many patients who would otherwise have no suitable donor.
Dr. Aditya, Unit Head, KIMS Hospitals, Kurnool, said organs were generally retrieved from patients declared brain dead, while liver donation from living donors could also save lives. Timely liver transplantation, he said, could help patients with severe liver failure recover completely and return to a normal life.
The doctors said that after death, organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas, lungs, and corneas could be donated. A single organ donor could save up to eight lives and restore sight to several others through corneal donation.
They stressed the need to remove misconceptions, fears, and religious doubts surrounding organ donation through sustained public awareness. People should discuss organ donation with their family members in advance and communicate their wishes clearly, they added.
Doctors, transplant team members, nursing staff, medical students, representatives of voluntary organisations, and local residents participated in the programme in large numbers. The event concluded with an organ donation pledge ceremony.