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Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra today pledged to donate
her organs, and said "one should understand the importance of organ donation because one lives for eternity."
"I was here because the function was organised by the
Army Medical Corps and I am a child of an Army personnel," Priyanka said
on the sidelines of the conference of Indian National Association for Study of
Liver (INSAL) organised this year by the Army Medical Corps here.
She said that she realised the importance of organ donation
when her father was ill.
Priyanka said organ donation could be scary for people who
don’t have knowledge about its benefits, and added that donors are unsung
heroes even after their death.
Chief Guest Union Defence Minister A K Antony lauded the
efforts of Armed Forces for leading the way in organ donation, and wished them
success in their future endeavour.
The Armed Forces Organ Retrieval and Transplant Authority
(AORTA) has shown the way in organ donation, even in medico-legal cases, Antony
said.
"The fast changes in the life style is leading to
increase in liver diseases. I am happy to note that liver specialist from all
over India have gathered here to discuss these issues," the Defence
Minister said.
Antony appreciated medical fraternity for its efforts to
treat patients suffering from liver related diseases and research in the field.
Former cricketer and Member of Parliament Navjot Singh Sidhu
also pledged to donate his organs.
When asked whether other MPs will also donate their organs,
Sidhu said that he knows about himself, adding that if parliamentarians were
here they would have surely donated their organs.
The AORTA has even managed to get over 1,000 people to
pledge their organs through an extensive publicity programme within the Armed
Forces.
"Even in grief you can help," reads a small board
at the Intensive Care Unit of six Army hospitals across the country, urging
relatives to donate organs of their dear departed to help others.
The "board with a silver lining", as it is
referred to by transplantation experts of the Armed Forces, invariably draws
the attention of those waiting for that final confirmation of loss from
doctors.
Till now, Bollywood actress Preity Zinta, former Miss
India Nikita Anand and Gul Panag, and many army officers had already pledged
their organs for donation.
Source-Medindia
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