From : http://www.hinduonnet.com/2009/11/19/stories/2009111952340700.htm
KOCHI: In a drive to promote cadaver organ donation, the judiciary led the campaign by signing the form for donating organs after death at a seminar on ‘Transplantation of Human Organs Act 1994’ organised by the Kerala State Legal Services Authority in association with the Society of Organ Retrieval and Transplantation (SORT).
Chief Justice of the Kerala High Court S.R. Bannurmath said in his inaugural address that while the country perhaps topped in accidental deaths there were only a few who donated organs. The gap between the demand for organs and potential donors was rather large, he said.
A number of kidney transplant scandals can also be a reason that keeps the ordinary people away from such movements, he added.
As a result availability of organs for the needy is a major problem, said Mr. Bannurmath.
Kurian Joseph, executive chairman, KELSA, presided over the function and registered to donate organs during the programme. P. Mohandas, member secretary, KELSA, who welcomed the gathering, also registered for the drive.
According to the statistics of SORT, about 4000 kidney transplants take place in a year whereas the demand is for a lakh. About 300 liver transplants take place whereas the demand is about a thousand a year. There are about 4000 brain death accidents happening in a year in Kerala alone but the frequency of cadaver donation is negligible. However, SORT was able to facilitate four transplants so far this year.
High Court judge P.R. Raman gave a special address. K. Narayana Kurup, former acting Chief Justice, Madras High Court, said there was no dearth of organs. It was the lack of infrastructure to harvest, transport and transplant that was making organ transplant a problem. P. K. Shamsudheen, former judge, High Court, also spoke.
V.N. Unni, head, department of nephrology, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences, and Vasanth Shenoy, joint secretary, SORT, gave the orientation address.
Ramesh Shenoy, secretary, SORT, proposed a vote of thanks.