To promote organ donation and encourage more people to pledge organs, Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and Health and Medical Education Minister K. Sudhakar pledged their organs on Saturday.
Apart from the Chief Minister and Health Minister, a few other Ministers and many officials also pledged their organs at a programme organised by the State Health Department to mark World Organ Donation Day on Saturday.
The Chief Minister, who felicitated donor families for their generosity even during grief, said organ donation is one of the precious gifts one can consider giving. “One organ can save eight people. Organ donation is a wonderful chance for everyone to live on even after death,” he said speaking at the event held in front of the Vidhana Soudha.
He made a special mention of three donors — Markonahalli Krishnappa, Sanchari Vijay, and Naveen Kumar — whose families did not think twice before donating organs of their dear ones after they were declared brain dead. A few organ recipients also shared their thoughts on the occasion.
Human chain
To mark World Organ Day and create awareness about organ donation, over 5,000 people, including ASHA workers, formed a human chain from Mekhri Circle in the city to Freedom Park. The participants also formed a kidney-shaped image at Tripura Vasini on Palace Grounds.
Organ pledging drive
To mark the day, Aster CMI Hospital organised an organ pledging drive at the hospital. The drive mobilised over 100 pledges by doctors, nurses, and staff from the hospital along with people visiting the hospital. Also, doctors narrated inspiring stories of those unsung heroes who have donated organs and saved lives. During the awareness drive, the transplant team at the hospital spoke on the importance of organ donation, followed by a live interactive session.
The drive concluded by observing a moment of silence for those who died in the tragic cases and their organs were donated to save others' lives. To pay tribute and honour their ultimate sacrifice, top doctors and surgeons at the hospital lit up candles in their names.
Walkathon
SPARSH Hospital organised a five-km walkathon to build awareness and sensitise the public about the need for organ donation. The event was flagged off at SPARSH Hospital in R.R. Nagar. Over 500 people participated in the walkathon, pledging their support to the cause.
As a token of appreciation and gratitude, the hospital handed over donor privilege cards to the families of all the donors at the hospital. The donor privilege card has a lifetime validity and offers an array of benefits that can be accessed across all units of SPARSH Hospitals in Karnataka.
Donor recognition wall
BGS Gleneagles Global Hospital, Kengeri, unveiled a donor recognition wall to mark the day. The donor wall was inaugurated on the hospital premises on Friday. It is located outside the main entrance of the hospital and measures 8 ft in length and 22.5 ft in width. The structure is the largest constructed wall of honour in India so far, with a capacity to accommodate up to 500 donor names in its first phase, claimed a statement from the hospital. A second phase of expansion on either side of the current wall has been provisioned for the future; increasing the total capacity to about 1,500 names, the statement added.
