Donating one’s organs after death
A PERSONAL ADVOCACY
IS there life after death? Yes, there is when one’s donated kidney, liver or heart after one’s death extends the life of another who needs an organ transplant.
This was the gist of the message conveyed during the Transplant Coordinators Training Workshop held in Dagupan City by the Philippine Organ Donation and Transplantation Program/ Philippine Network For Organ Sharing (PODTP/PhiNOS).
Dr. Antonio Paraiso, PODTP/PhiNOS program manager, cited the fact that 23,000 Filipinos are undergoing dialysis treatment and at least half of them are good transplant candidates even as he clarified that their advocacy is not limited to kidney transplantation.
The Department of Health has also started its program of transplantation of heart and liver organs as well.
He said lately they’ve been doing liver transplantation and subsequently heart and lungs.
Department of Health figures show that more than 10,000 cases of patients with kidney diseases can be helped by transplants from deceased donors. But there was no national registry of organ donors for this purpose until early this year.
Finally, last February 28, PhiNOS’ “I’m a LifeLine” campaign pushing for the deceased organ donation advocacy earned a Guinness World Record for “Most People to Sign Up as Organ Donors for One Hour Single Site.”
“The world record title depicts the openness of the Filipino people to the idea of organ donation and with this recent activity, the country is now a step closer to having it national registry of organ donor to help those in need,” Paraiso said.
Paraiso said world statistics show the rate of successful transplantation has improved. Ten years survival of about 80 percent is very attainable, he added.
In the Philippines, 40 percent of those suffering from kidney failure was due to complications of diabetes, 30 percent due to complications from hypertension and 20 percent because of glomerelo nephritis, and a host of other conditions for the remaining 10 percent.
To further promote the advocacy and encourage more to be organ donors, the “I’m a LifeLine” campaign launched the Organ Donation Advocacy Caravan in North and Central Luzon. (Tita Roces)
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