World Organ Donation Day 2021: Is it Safe to Donate Your Organs? How to Become an Organ Donor?

Over five lakh people die in India every year from the unavailability of organs since very few people choose to donate them. World Organ Donation Day, celebrated annually on August 13, aims to create awareness around this issue and encourage more potential donors to save lives. Organ donation requires a person’s consent to donate their healthy organs for the patient in question. The donor can be living or deceased at the time of donation.

Kidney transplants are needed the most, followed by transplants of the liver, heart, lungs, pancreas, intestine, and eyes and tissues. Below, we discuss whether organ donation is safe for everyone and how they can proceed to donate.

Is it safe for everyone to donate?

Those who have healthy vital organs at the time of death can become successful donors. Those suffering from active cancers, HIV, diabetes, impaired vital organs and other infections are not suitable, with some exceptions. Living organ donors can suffer from post-surgery complications, such as infections, bleeding, clots, pain, pneumonia, tissue injury, allergic reaction, and in rare cases, death. Donors must discuss all such possibilities with their surgeons beforehand.