Bangalore : Fortis Hospital, Bangalore conducted a walkathon as a part of #MoreToGive campaign to create awareness aboutorgan donation here today. More than 900 people participated in the walkathon with an aim to support the noble cause of organ donation. The walk was flagged off at 7:45 AM from Fortis Hospital, Bangalore and returned to the same place. The walk was flagged off by renowned actor & director Prakash Raj along with Mr Raj Gore, COO-South West, Fortis Healthcare and Dr Manish Mattoo, Zonal Director-Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore and transplant surgeons at Fortis Hospital, Bangalore.

 

Fortis’s ‘More to Give’ campaign aims to encourage a dialogue about the need for organ donation by taking it to the streets of the city where the people show their support for the cause.

 

Speaking at the event, Dr Vivek Jawali, Chairman, Department of Cardio Vascular Sciences, Fortis Hospitals, Bangalore said, “India experiences acute shortage of organ donors every year. The lack of knowledge about the organ donation is quite evident and this is what we want to achieve through campaigns like this. An organ donation means giving a second chance at life to someone and allows them to return to a normal lifestyle. These initiatives have the ability to spur people to come forward to donate organs of their deceased beloved. This will save and help elevate the quality of lives of many patients in need of organs. We are looking forward to more such initiatives and campaigns in the future.”

 

Every year almost 5 lakh people die in India due to non-availability of organs. Nearly 1.5 lakh people are in dire need of kidney but only 3 thousand of them receive one. Vital organs such as the heart, pancreas, liver, kidneys and lungs can be transplanted to those whose organs are failing. A single donor can save eight lives by donating the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas and small bowel.

  

Why Organ Donation :

o   1.2 lakh people suffer from corneal blindness and await transplant.
o   200,000 Indians die every year due to liver disease.
o   100,000 Indians die every year waiting for a heart.
o   200,000 people await a kidney transplant but only 7,000 get one.
o   400,000 Indians die because of non-availability of organs.
o   India’s organ donation rate is 0.86 person per million population (It was 0.5 per million when we adopted the cause in 2016).
o   Only 800 cadaver donations took place in India in 2017 (It is up from less than 500 donations in year 2015-16)