ITN Vol 7; Issue 25, 2007

Organ donation in India - Impressions of a Dutch student

This personal account written by Mieke von Kollenburg, a student of Health Information from Netherlands offered an interesting “outsider's” perspective on deceased organ donation in India.

“After asking the question whether they would be willing to donate their own organs after their death, more than 80% answered this question with yes. Despite this willingness to donate, far too few organs become available for patients suffering from end stage organ failure. If it's not the people that refuse to donate, the problem has to lie somewhere else. I experienced that one of the hurdles is the attitude of the hospitals to declare brain death and maintain a brain dead patient.”