Bengaluru: Producer Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar has been invited by Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao to be the ambassador for awareness about organ donation in the Karnataka. Noting that the legendary Dr. Rajkumar family is an inspiration for organ donation, the Minister has invited Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar as the chief guest for the Organ Donation Day celebration on August 3 on behalf of the Health Department.
The late actor Puneeth Rajkumar had donated his eyes just like father and actor Dr. Rajkumar. Puneeth Rajkumar’s donation of eyes inspired thousands of people in the state to donate organs. The state also saw an increase in organ donation. Many have taken Dr. Puneeth Rajkumar as a role model and started organ donation. Now his wife Ashwini Puneeth Rajkumar has been invited by the Health Department to become an ambassador for organ donation awareness.
Through organ donation, a donor can donate life to 8 people even after his death. Also 50 lives can be saved through tissue donation. Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has called upon the authorities to devise programs to encourage more organ donation from the government, where life can be found worthwhile.
Celebrating Organ Donation Day on August 3, the State Health Department has organised a programme to honour 150 families of the state who have donated organs. The organ donation rate is 0.08 per million population. About 3 lakh people are waiting for a kidney transplant. But only about 10,000 people receive a transplant each year.
About 50,000 patients need a heart transplant in India. But only 1% of people are getting an organ. 2 lakh Indians need cornea transplant. But only 50,000 corneas are collected each year.
The state Government has launched several programs to address the shortage of human organs. Human organ procurement centers have been set up in government medical colleges like NIMHANS. Organ retrieval has been initiated at these centres. Consultations are being conducted with concerned persons regarding identification of non-brain dysfunctional patients for organ donation
A free organ transplant scheme has been started by the Government and 73 patients have benefited so far. Kidney transplants are being done at Government hospitals like Victoria Institute of Neurology and Karnataka Medical Institute, KIMS Hubballi.