The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu today called upon the youth to overcome their apprehensions and take a pledge to donate their organs. He said that the youth, with their scientific outlook to Indian traditions, can convince the society to make organ donation a mission.

Terming organ donation as a ‘delicate and sensitive’ process that requires patience and conviction, Shri Naidu said that the new and   aspirational India must give up superstitions and redefine our spiritual outlook according to our social context.

He was addressing the gathering at ‘Deh Daaniyon Ka Utsav’ an event organized by the Visva Hindu Parishad, in New Delhi today. He commended the Dadhichi Dehdan Committee for gathering organ donors and collaborating with recognized government institutions and hospitals for the last 22 years to facilitate organ transplantation. 

The Vice President pointed out that human beings desired to live forever and said that there can be no better way to realize this desire than to donate one’s organs and let others live complete lives. “By donating an organ you not only live another life, but you also give life and hope to entire humanity. You give life to affinity, empathy and kinship in the society”, he added.  

Referring to the mythological stories where Kings like Dadhichi and Shibi, had donated their bodies, the Vice President underscored that organ donation was very much a part of India’s core values, ideals and the Samskars of our society.

Expressing his concern about the acute shortage in the number of cadavers available to medical colleges, Shri Naidu said that the need of the hour is for us to donate bodies to science with the consent of the family and the society.

Pointing out that modern life style is taking its toll on our health and that Non-communicable, life style diseases are spreading at an alarming rate, the Vice President said that in longer term they affect vital organs, necessitating a transplant.  He said that while scientists have developed synthetic alternatives, in case of vital internal organs like kidney, heart, liver, we still largely depend on organ donation for transplant.

Referring to new technologies like 3D printing being used by scientists to develop artificial organs, the Vice President said that inspite of the promising nature of these technologies, we still have long way to go before their efficacy is established.

He also called for creating a system to help family members of patients to overcome the constraints posed by critical, complex and costly post- transplant care.

Sounding caution against people who resort to unethical ways of stealing the organs surreptitiously without consent, due to scarcity of donors, the Vice President emphasized on the need for broadening definitions and easing procedures to regulate organ donation in accordance with scientific standards. 

Stressing that time is a critical factor in harvesting the organ from donor’s body and transplanting, he pointed out that most of our districts lack infrastructure and expertise to conduct such surgeries and post-operative care and said that people from smaller districts travel to Metros for Organ Transplant, where they are exposed to hostile and unscrupulous practices. “We certainly have to improve our medical infrastructure at district level”, he added.         

Declaring that the ideal of “Share and Care” has been at the core of our civilizations since time immemorial and that the ‘Shanti mantra’ of “Sarve Jana Sukhino Bhavanthu” has always been a part of our prayer, the Vice President said that through organ donation and body donation, we can truly realize these great mottos of our civilization.

The Vice President was informed that over 12000 people had already pledged to donate their organs and 500 people were taking the pledge of organ donation today under the aegis of the Dadhichi Dehdan Samiti. He was also informed that 294 body donations and 864 cornea donations had also been facilitated by the Samiti.

Shri Alok Kumar, Patron, Dadhichi Dehdan Samiti, Dr Ranjan wadhwa , Safdarjung Hospital, Dr. Anup Kumar, Nodal Officer, Renal transplant, Safdarjung Hospital & Vardhman Mahavir Medical College, Dr. Vasanthi Ramesh, Director, National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization, Shri Harsh Malhotra, President, Dadhichi Dehdan Samiti and others were present on the occasion.

Following is the full text of the speech-

देह दानियों के इस उत्सव में, हमारे समाज के अनुकरणीय प्रकाश पुंज तथा उनके परिजनों के सम्मान समारोह में, 

आप सबके बीच आकर स्वयं को गौरवान्वित महसूस कर रहा हूँ। आपके मार्गदर्शन के लिये कृतज्ञ समाज के अभिनंनदन को स्वीकार कर, आपने समाज पर अनुग्रह किया है। इस प्रबुद्ध सभा की ओर से मैं, आप सभी विभूतियों का हार्दिक अभिनंदन करता हूँ।

देश और समाज को आपके अनुकरणीय त्याग से परिचित कराने हेतु, इस आयोजन के लिये मैं दधीचि देहदान 

समिति की सराहना करता हूँ।

मुझे यह जानकर हर्ष है कि दधीचि देहदान समिति 1997 से विगत 22 वर्षों से इस महत्वपूर्ण मानवीय पहलू पर 

जनचेतना का, आप ऐसे दानियों को एकत्र कर रहे हैं और मान्यता प्राप्त सरकारी संस्थाओं और अस्पतालों के साथ सहयोग कर रहे हैं।

यह विषय बहुत ही संवेदनशील है। यह निजी विश्वास, पारिवारिक संस्कार और संवेदना का प्रश्न है। अत: उद्देश्य की शुचिता और संकल्प निष्ठा अनिवार्य हैं। इस दृष्टि से आपकी भूमिका अभिनंदनीय और अनुकरणीय है।

मित्रों,

मुझे उन विधवा बहन के बारे में बताया गया जिन्होंने अपने Brain-dead पति का हृदयदान दिया। किस प्रकार से जिसने उस हृदय को प्राप्त किया, उनके परिवार ने अपने हर पारिवारिक अवसर पर उन बहन का सत्कार किया, 

उन्हें अपने परिवार का सदस्य माना। अंगदान से न केवल आप दूसरे के शरीर में जीवित रहते हैं बल्कि आप मानवता को जीवित रखते हैं। समाज में आत्मीयता को जीवित रखते हैं। 

Despite evolution of science and civilization, Death remains an unresolved enigma. Human beings desire to live forever. There can be no better way to realize this desire than to donate one’s organs and let others live complete lives.

By donating an organ you not only live another life, but you also give life and hope to entire humanity. You give life to affinity, empathy and kinship in the society.  

मित्रों,

    ऐसा नहीं कि अंगदान, देहदान की परंपरा नयी है। स्वयं दधीचि इस परंपरा के मूर्धन्य प्रतिनिधि थे। जिन्होंने अपनी अस्थियां देवताओं को दानकर दीं। महाराज शिवि जिन्होंने एक पक्षी के प्राण बचाने के लिये अपने अंगों का दान किया।

We have in India a number of mythological stories where Kings like Dadhichi and Shibi, had donated their bodies. These stories may be a part of our mythology, but myths are built around the core values, ideals, the Samskars of the society, which are real and practiced in our lives.  And you have defined these narratives in modern contexts, and adapted them to make them relevant.

हमारे मेडिकल कालेजों में प्रयोग के लिये शवों की आवश्यकता होती है। मेडिकल कालेजों में  इसका अभाव है। ऐसे में यदि समाज, समुदाय और परिजन की सहमति से देहदान किया जा सके तो समाज की बड़ी सेवा हो सकेगी।

मित्रों,

    आज गुरूनानक देव जी की 550वीं जयंती के अवसर पर पवित्र गुरुबानी का यह शब्द उद्धृत करना उचित होगा -

    ‘नर मरै नर काम न आवे, पसु मरे दस काज संवारे’,  

मनुष्य मृत्यु के बाद किसी काम नहीं आता, पशु मरने के बाद भी काम आता है। लेकिन यदि इस शबद का निहित भावार्थ देखें तो मनुष्य से अपेक्षा की जा रही है 

कि यदि हम अपने अंदर की पाशविकता को मार दें तो मृत्यु के बाद भी समाज के काम आ सकते है। इसी प्रकार हमारे आसपास के समुदाय से ही अनेक नागरिकों ने सेवा के 

इस सद्मार्ग को अपना कर अंगदान या देहदान का संकल्प किया है। अमृतसर मेडिकल कालेज के प्रोफेसर डा0 हुक्म सिंह विर्क ने चिकित्सा शिक्षा के लिये 

अपनी देहदान कर शिक्षा और समाज सेवा का अनुकरणीय उदाहरण प्रस्तुत किया।

The modern life style is taking its toll on our health. Non-communicable, life style diseases are spreading at an alarming rate. Even our youth in their most productive years are susceptible to these life style diseases like diabetes, blood pressure, arthritis etc. In longer term they affect vital organs, necessitating a transplant.  In certain cases, while scientists have developed synthetic alternatives, in case of vital internal organs like kidney, heart, liver, we still largely depend on organ donation for transplant. Every year almost 5 lakh people lose their life due to non-availability of donated organs. While scientists are trying to develop these organs with 3-D Organ Printing, we still have long way to go before their efficacy is established. Moreover, post- transplant care is critical, complex and costly. We need to evolve a system to help the family to overcome these constraints.

Due to scarcity of donors, some people have resorted to unethical ways of stealing the organs surreptitiously without consent. To regulate organ donation in accordance with scientific standards, the Parliament passed the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994, which was further amended in 2011 to broaden the definitions and to ease the procedures. A network of Government institutions at national, regional and state level is being established, to register the hospitals, regulate the practices and to spread awareness.

We must also realise that time is a critical factor in harvesting the organ from donor’s body and transplanting it. It requires storage infrastructure and special expertise to conduct transplant surgeries. Most of our districts lack this infrastructure and expertise to conduct such surgeries and post-operative care. People from smaller districts travel to Metros for Organ Transplant, where they are exposed to hostile and unscrupulous practices. We certainly have to improve our medical infrastructure at district level.   

   मित्रों,

    “Share And Care” हमारी सनातन परंपरा रही है। अपने शांति मंत्र में हम ‘सर्वे भवन्तु सुखिन:, सर्वे सन्तु निरामया, सर्वे भद्राणि पश्यन्तु, मा कश्चित् दुख भाग्भवेत्’ 

की प्रार्थना करते हैं। अंगदान, देहदान से हम अपनी प्रार्थना को वास्तव में जी सकते हैं, उसे साकार कर सकते हैं।

    इस यज्ञ में आपकी संस्था की अभिनंदनीय भूमिका की सराहना करता हूं और अपेक्षा करता हूं 

कि समाज के अधिकाधिक लोग, विशेषकर युवा, इस रचनात्मक अभियान से जुड़ेगे।

I call upon our Youth to join this mission. With your scientific outlook to our traditions, you can convince the society to overcome their apprehensions and take pledge to donate organ. It is a delicate and sensitive process that requires patience and conviction.  We are living in a new aspirational India. We have to give up superstitions and redefine our spiritual outlook according to our social context.

    आपके सामने आज के इस ‘देहदानियों के उत्सव’ में उपस्थित देहदानियों के परिजनों का आदर्श है 

जिन्होंने संस्कारगत संशय को किनारे रख मानवता की सेवा की। आप और आपके स्वजन धन्य हैं, समाज के आदर्श हैं। मैं आप सभी का सादर अभिनंदन करता हूं और आपके भावी जीवन के लिए शुभकामनाऐं देता हूं।

    आज ‘देहदानियों के उत्सव’ में सम्मिलित होने का सुयोग प्रदान करने के लिए आप सभी का आभार।

    जय हिंद।”

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VRRK/MS/MSY