Visakhapatnam: Rally organised to mark World Organ Donation Day

Visakhapatnam: Visakhapatnam hosted a rally in recognition of World Organ Donation Day on Tuesday, aiming to raise awareness about the critical importance of organ donation. District collector M.N. Harendhira Prasad was the event's chief guest.

In his address, the collector stressed the urgency of dispelling myths surrounding organ donation and highlighted India's severe organ shortage, with approximately 5,00,000 patients currently on the transplant waiting list. He also emphasised the importance of obtaining informed consent from the families of brain-dead individuals and warned against fraudulent practices in the organ donation process.

GVMC commissioner P. Sampath Kumar called for continued public education on organ donation and advocated for increased awareness initiatives to encourage more people to become donors.

Rashtra Jeevan Dan coordinator and VIMS director Dr. K. Rambabu highlighted the transformative impact of organ donation, noting that a single brain-dead donor can potentially save up to eight lives. He reported that over 3,000 people in the state are awaiting organ transplants and that 136 successful transplants had been carried out in the past 15 days, describing this as a promising development.