There is a huge shortage of organs in India and patients die while on the waiting list as they do not get an organ on time. A brain-dead person's organs can give a new lease of life to at least nine patients suffering from organ failure.

Around 7.85 million people suffer from chronic kidney failure in India. At present, in India, the approximate prevalence of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is 800 per million population (pmp), and the incidence of end-stage kidney disease is 150-200 pmp. Nearly 3,500 transplants are done annually as against the need for 210,000 kidney transplants.

The statistics for deceased organ donation in Tamil Nadu are as follows:

	From Oct 2008
Donors	217
Heart	35
Lung	4
Liver	192
Kidney	403
Major Organs	634
Heart Valves	268
Corneas	337
Skin	1
Total Organs	1240

Organs transplantation is possible only if there are organ donors available in the country and it is in this regard that the Organ Donation Day is being celebrated to bring awareness to the general public. The theme of this year's Organ Donation Day is 'SHARE LIFE, SAVE LIFE'. A rally will be held on Sunday 22nd January 2012 at the Marina Beach, which is yet another step in the massive nationwide drive to raise awareness on organ donation. The rally will be flagged off from the Triumph of Labour statue and end at Gandhi statue and will be held from 07:00 AM to 09:00 AM. There will be sand sculptures on organ donation on the beach done by the students of the Govt. Fine Arts College. The site of these unique sculptures is where the closing ceremony will be held. The rally will culminate with a street theatre performance on organ donation. This rally will be a perfect occasion for the people to step out, get a Donor Card and pledge their organs to be able to save lives.

This event is being jointly organized by all the stakeholders working in this field in Tamil Nadu namely Govt. Cadaver Transplant Programme (CTP), MOHAN Foundation, National Network for Organ Sharing (NNOS), and TANKER Foundation. The major hospitals where deceased organ donation is taking place is Rajiv Gandhi Govt. General Hospital, Apollo Hospitals and Global Hospitals. The counsellors who counsel the families of brain dead patients about organ donation in these hospitals are trained by MOHAN Foundation.

CHOOSE LIFE…WITH MOHAN FOUNDATION…Organ donation is all about giving life - life that only YOU can choose to give, to help thousands of patients waiting for an organ or tissue transplant.

MOHAN Foundation (Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network)
Toshniwal Bldg, 3rd Floor,
267, Kilpauk Garden Road,
Chennai - 600 010
Ph: 044-26447000 / 9444607000
Email: [email protected]
www.mohanfoundation.org