ORGAN DONATION

 

Organ donation is the process of surgically removing an organ or tissue from one person (the organ donor) and placing it into another person (the recipient). Transplantation is necessary because the recipient’s organ has failed or has been damaged by disease or injury.

Organ transplantation is one of the great advances in modern medicine. Unfortunately, the need for organ donors is much greater than the number of people who actually donate. Every day, many people worldwide die waiting for an organ.

The benefits of organ donation are:-

Organ donation saves lives.  

Although the statistics related to donation pledges indicate an increase in the last six years (in January 2017, 385,173 donor pledges were recorded in Malaysia), there were only 71 actual donors throughout the country in 2016. By registering to donate your organs, you could directly affect the life of someone in your community.

Organ donation can change the lives of up to 10 people.

It’s not just organs like your heart and kidneys that can be used when you become an organ donor, it is also things like bones, tendons and ligaments. Each donation can be used to dramatically change and improve the lives of several people.

Donation can significantly improve someone's quality of life.

For someone whose kidney has failed, having a transplant can mean that they could go from having dialysis 3 times a week to going back to a relatively normal, healthy life.

Almost anyone can become an organ donor.

Unlike donating blood, almost anyone can become an organ donor. People should not assume that they are too old or too young or not healthy enough because it is highly likely that at least some of your organs and tissues will be eligible for donation.

It is easy to register.

To register to become an organ donor, all you have to do is discuss the decision with your family and then register your details online at the portal, myhealth.gov.my. Just remember, discussing your decision with your family is really important because a deceased person’s next of kin may be asked to provide consent even if you are registered to donate.

Donation will reduce waiting time for those on transplant lists.

In Malaysia today, many people are on the transplant waiting list. For those in need of a liver transplant, they could be waiting for many years and those in need of a kidney could be waiting even longer. By signing up to become an organ donor, you will be helping to reduce the waiting time for people in need.

Organ donation does not have any effect on post death rituals.

Donating your organs will not mean that there will be any delay on funeral plans and those who donate will still be able to have an open casket funeral if they wish to do so.

There is no cost involved in organ donation.

Once deceased, a person’s family will not have to bear the costs of any organ donation procedures.

You can directly change the life of someone you know.

Did you know that you can also become a living donor? In some cases, kidney or liver transplants can come from a living donor, usually that of a family member or friend.

You will feel good.

Knowing that you can change someone’s life even after you are gone is something to be proud of!

As usual, we remind you to take your Memo Plus Gold daily. It will help to keep you alert and mentally sharp. For more information or to order for Memo Plus Gold, please visit : https://oze.my.