JEEVANDAN

Some organ transplantation myths are as follows:

1. If I agree to donate my organs, the hospital staff would not work as hard to save my life
   Fact: When you go to the hospital for treatment, doctors focus on saving your life. The medical team treating you is separate from the transplant team. The team coordinating the donation is not notified until all lifesaving efforts have failed and death has been determined. The transplant team would not be notified until your family has consented for organ donation.
2. Maybe I would not really be dead when they sign my death certificate
   Fact: Although it is a popular topic in the tabloids, in reality, people do not start to wiggle their toes after they are declared dead. In fact, people who have agreed to organ donation are given more tests (at no charge to their families) to determine that they are truly dead than are those who haven't agreed to organ donation.
3. Organ donation is against my religion
   Fact: Organ donation is consistent with the beliefs of most religions. All organized religions support donation, typically considering it a generous act that is the individual's choice.
4. I am under age 18. I am too young to make this decision
   Fact: That is true, in a legal sense. But your parents can authorize this decision. You can express to your parents your wish to donate, and your parents can give their consent knowing that it is what you wanted. Children, too, are in need of organ transplants, and they usually need organs smaller than those an adult can provide.
5. I am too old to donate. Nobody would want my organs
   Fact: There is no defined cutoff age for donating organs. Organs have been successfully transplanted from donors in their 70s and 80s. The decision to use your organs is based on strict medical criteria, not age. Please do not disqualify yourself prematurely. Let the doctors decide at your time of death whether your organs and tissues are suitable for transplantation.
6. I am not in the best of health. Nobody would want my organs or tissues
   Fact: Very few medical conditions automatically disqualify you from donating organs. The decision to use an organ is based on strict medical criteria. It may turn out that certain organs are not suitable for transplantation, but other organs and tissues may be fine. Please do not disqualify yourself prematurely. Only medical professionals at the time of your death can determine whether your organs are suitable for transplantation.
7. Rich and famous people go to the top of the list when they need a donor organ
   Fact: The rich and famous are not given priority when it comes to allocating organs. It may seem that way because of the amount of publicity generated when celebrities receive a transplant, but they are treated no differently from anyone else. In fact, Jeevandan is the AP State Government programme responsible for maintaining the organ transplant network and online waiting list. The organ allocation system is blind to name, celebrity, social status, or wealth. Allocation depends on severity of illness, waiting time, blood type, and medical compatibility.
8. My family will be charged if I donate my organs
   Fact: The organ donor's family is never charged for donating. The family is charged only for the cost of all final efforts to save your life. Once death occurs, any expenses related to organ or tissue donation are covered, and there will be no charges to the donor's family.
9. If I donate, I would worry that the recipient and/or the recipient's family would discover my identity and cause more grief for my family
   Fact: Information about the donor is released by the team that coordinates the donation to the recipients only if the family that donated requests it be provided.
10. I heard that they take everything, even if I only want to donate my eyes
    Fact: You may specify which organs you want donated. Your wishes will be followed.
11. Organ and tissue donation means my body will be mutilated and treated badly
    Fact: Donated organs are removed surgically, in a routine operation similar to gallbladder or appendix removal. Donation does not disfigure the body or change the way it looks in a casket. Normal funeral arrangements are possible.

The conclusion is that unless we have an effective cadaver transplantation programme, we will stay rooted to where we are now. This can be overcome by public awareness of brain death and cadaver transplantation through all available means.

Stronger infrastructure with counseling staff and adequate training is required to certify brain death, which is vital to increase the availability of organs for transplant. Centralised approaches to organ procurement tend to be most effective.

Increases in cadaveric donor organ transplants may be achieved through improved organ procurement, education of transplant teams, better preservation techniques, and the creation of a single waiting list. Finally, a quality control system is essential to ensure safety, quality, and transparency.

Jeevandan is the Andhra Pradesh State Government Cadaver Transplantation Scheme developed to streamline declaration of brain death, infrastructure development, training of transplant coordinators, and public awareness.