CHENNAI: Almost 10 years ago, evendoctors hesitated to declare a road traffic accident victim brain-dead.Campaigns for harvesting organs of brain-dead patients were also ignored. OnSaturday, the Tamil Nadu Governor Surjit Singh Barnala felicitated 13 familieswho had donated organs in the last six months. The state has recorded one ofhighest number of organ donations in the country.

Between 2005 and2007, there were 23 organ donations in the state. A brain death is anirreversible condition where all activities of the brain stem stop functioning.The organs function with life-support system but the patient is declaredclinically dead. However, if organs such as kidneys, liver, lungs, heart andeven bowels are retrieved in time they could help an ailing patient recover. Theprogramme gained momentum in the last six months and was intensified when adoctor couple, parents of Hitendran, donated their son’s organs.

In Tamil Nadu, awareness on organ donation has created goodresponse. What is interesting is that most of them who had come forward todonate the organs of their beloved ones are from Salem, Vellore andThiruvannamalai districts,said Barnala…..Readmore