Drive for organ donor clause in licences

Chennai: In a novel attempt to create large-scale awareness on organ donation, members of Mohan (Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network) Foundation has received 2,500 signatures in a campaign to push for the inclusion of an organ donor clause in driving licenses.
Speaking at a function here on Sunday, Dr Sunil Shroff, managing trustee, Mohan Foundation, said, “Today, there are 1 million people in India who suffer from diabetes and 8 million from hypertension. Endstage kidney failure is the next big epidemic that is waiting to happen in the country. At this point, the requirement for organs will be huge,” he said. Dr Shroff said that there were only 0.08 donors per million population in India. Though the state government passed a GO last year (for doctors to compulsorily declare cases of brain death), there is a need to create large scale awareness on the issue. We thought the best way to do this would be to include a clause: ‘I wish to donate my organs after my death. Yes/No’ in documents like driving licenses or PAN cards. We are meeting a representative from the central government later this week to see if we can introduce this in the national ID cards as well,” he said.
Tamil Nadu’s additional chief secretary Syed Munir Hooda said, “Since no religion prohibits the concept of organ donation, Mohan Foundation could organise a conference of all the religious heads to take the message across to members of their community.” Principal secretary and Transport Commissioner S Machendranathan said the campaign was well-timed as the state was on the brink of implementing a ‘smart card’ system for driving licenses. “The government will take note of this initiative,” he added.
Actor Revathy, who was the first registered organ donor with Mohan Foundation in 1997, said it was important for family members accept an individual’s intention to donate organs. Six rallyists, who covered a distance of 2,000 km on their motorbikes to create awareness about organ donation, were felicitated at the event.

SUPPORTING A CAUSE: Actor Revathy shows her Organ Donor card at a function organised to campaign for the inclusion of ‘Organ Donation Clause’ in driving licences