“We arecompiling organ donors’ data. As we have changed the application format, which every RTO across the country hastofollow,therewillbe an increase in the number of such pledges,” a central government official said. Priyanka Shylendra, chief executive officer of Gift Your Organ Foundation, which pursued the change in driving licence application format, said this will bring more awareness. “When we interacted with people from different walks of life, we found they are keen to donate organs. What is needed is awareness and making the process simple,” she added.
Shylendra said her foundation undertook an awareness initiative from 2012 to 2015 at nine RTOs in Bangalore. “We made 1.72 lakh people aware and through this initiative, 62,000 people pledged. The initiative was introduced at a Mumbai RTO in 2013 and 15,000 people were made aware,” shesaid.
Organizations working in this sector have also been pushing for a seamless mechanism for quick transfer of accident victims to specialised hospitals to complete the organ donation process. Last month, while inaugurating the National Road Safety Week, road transport minister Nitin Gadkari said Tata Group’s arm TCS is keen to join hands with the government in an initiative to harvest organs from road crash victims as well as facilitate emergency services using helicopters.He added that the government is developing 750 roadside amenities, which will have helipads in addition to other facilities for travellers. Organ donation gains importance as at present, there is less than one organ donor in a million in India and over three million deaths recorded since 2005 due to non-availability of organs.
