World Organ Donation Day 2024: Theme, history, significance; here's all you need to know
World Organ Donation Day 2024: Every year on August 13, World Organ Donation Day is commemorated to promote awareness about the importance of organ donation and to urge individuals to sign up as organ donors. Organ donations, including kidneys, heart, pancreas, eyes, and lungs, can save the lives of people suffering from chronic diseases all around the world.
The day honours the selfless contributions of donors and their families. According to UNOS, around 1,03,993 people require a lifesaving organ transplant, but the number of available donors is shockingly low, resulting in a critical supply-demand gap.
According to Organ.gov, each donor has the potential to save 8 lives and improve over 75 others. As a result, this day serves as a reminder of the problems experienced in the field of organ donation, as well as an opportunity to educate the public about the life-saving potential of organ donation. Here's everything you need to know about World Organ Donation Day
Organ Donation Day is being observed this year under the slogan, “Be the Reason for Someone’s Smile Today!”
This theme seeks to highlight the essential role that organ donation plays in saving lives while also raising awareness about the urgent need for new donors. By emphasising it, the day hopes to inspire people to make the life-saving decision to donate their organs and assist those in need.
Organ transplantation has a long history, dating back to the early twentieth century and marked by notable milestones. Dr. Joseph Murray performed the first successful kidney transplant in 1954, when Ronald Lee Herrick donated a kidney to his identical twin brother, in a revolutionary procedure.
This watershed moment cleared the path for progress in organ transplantation, resulting in the successful transplanting of hearts, livers, lungs, and other organs.
On August 3, 1994, India saw its first successful deceased donor heart transplant, marking a watershed moment in the country's organ transplantation history and laying the groundwork for future advancements in the field.
The National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) began celebrating National Organ Donation Day on November 27, 2010, under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
However, in 2023, the date was changed to August 3 to mark the anniversary of India's first successful donor heart transplant.
- PTC NEWS
