A team of doctors joined the administrative and management staff of a private hospital in Mysuru on Sunday to hold a street play in the heart of the temple town of Nanjangud near here to promote the concept of organ donation.
As part of the ‘Punarjanma’ campaign, a team of about 40 people, comprising doctors and other staff of Apollo BGS Hospitals in Mysuru, set out on 20 motorcycles to Nanjangud on Sunday morning. After staging a street play highlighting the crying need for organ donation to meet the growing demand from end-stage organ failure patients across the country, the team requested the civic and police officials of Nanjangud to create awareness about organ donation among the public.
The private hospital will carry out similar campaigns not only in Mysuru, but also in Hassan, Mandya and Madikeri in the coming weeks. Four more such rides will be taken out till November 27, according to the vice-president and unit head of Apollo BGS Hospitals, Mysuru, N.G. Bharateesha Reddy.
The campaign seeks to create awareness about the struggle India is facing because of shortage of organs for transplantation.
Though more than a million people are suffering from end-stage organ failure, only 3,500 transplants are performed every year. While 15 patients die every day waiting for organs, one patient is added to the waiting list every 10 minutes.
“Awareness on organ donation is the only way out of this depressing scenario. One donor can give life to a minimum of eight people. The more potential donors there are, the more likelihood of organs becoming available to save lives. Right now, more than one lakh people in India need organ transplants,” said a statement from C.B. Daksh, manager of BGS Apollo Healthcare services, Mysuru.