The accompanying graphic (Hindustan times Delhi 24th September) totally misrepresents the situation regarding organ donation in the city of Delhi. I wish the reporter had taken the trouble to verify the numbers she was getting from her 'sources'. Caveat lector (reader beware) would be my advice. I am sure the reporter meant well, but the figures mentioned could lull the readers into some utopian fantasy and complacency.
If the numbers were true, particularly those at AIIMS, all transplant surgeons and physicians would be clapping their hands in a rapturous delight. These numbers while still far below what is needed, would herald a happy change in the embarrassingly depressing 'real' situation in India.
It is a welcome development that Delhi doctors are being trained in transplant coordination by experts from Barcelona. The province of Catalunya in Spain, where Barcelona lies, has the distinction of the highest organ donation in the world about 35 per million ( It is 25 per million in US and only 0.04 in India). The province of Catalunya is a torchbearer in the field of organ donation and whatever we can imbibe from their protocols will be welcome to shed our title of being a 'selfish nation'. However blindly aping their system is unlikely to work because they have a great penetration of socialised medicine paid for by state insurance while India is struggling with social medicine even in primary care. We will have to take inspiration from them and find locally applicable solutions to shed this dubious distinction.
The plan being worked out indicates that the powers that be have taken initiative to a felt need in the society, but this alone is unlikely to yield dividends. The strategy has to be multi-pronged and should simultaneously target education, legislation, professional training and societal change. A good staring point would be to take measures to restore faith of society in initiatives of the powers that be in looking after their welfare. Unless this faith is restored, we will be hard pressed to change the status quo no matter what rosy hyperbole is presented in the press.
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