Lucknow: Over 23,000 people die from road traffic accidents in the state every year and even if family members of 1% of people donate their dear one's organ, the lives of 230 people can be saved.
The stats were presented at the programme to discuss opportunities and challenges in the deceased organ transplant programme of UP organised by the departments of nephrology and urology at SGPGIMS, along with the Lucknow Nephrology Society, on Monday. Speaking at the programme, SGPGI director Prof RK Dhiman said: "About 50,000 patients need kidney transplantation in UP, and roughly a similar number of liver transplants are also required. But there is an availability gap."
Head of nephrology at the institute, Prof Narayan Prasad suggested that there should be a wing for deceased awareness in each medical college and hospital to continuously support and raise awareness about brain death, which means death similar to cardiac death. "Nobody survives after brain death. The govt should make brain death certification essential in all hospitals and ICUs," he said.
Dr Natarajan Gopalakrishnan, from TRANSTAN, Tamil Nadu deceased donation programme, said, "There is a need for political will, bureaucracy support, media cooperation and public support as four important pillars of success in addition to clinical leadership."
Dr Manmeet, a transplant surgeon from Medanta, emphasised the need for a well-trained professional transplant coordinator. Dr MS Ansari and Dr Sanjay Surekha, transplant surgeons from SGPGIMS, discussed the role of clinical leadership for a successful deceased donor programme.
Dr Amit Gupta, a senior consultant nephrologist at Apollomedics, raised concern over social barriers that prevent organ donation after brain death.
Dr Deepak Dewan, a senior consultant nephrologist at Regency Hospital Lucknow, emphasised public and private partnerships and cooperation to boost deceased donations.