Thai Red Cross Urges Organ Donation As Transplant List Grows

[webfact]

Public urged to donate organs

BANGKOK, 30 March 2011 (NNT) – The Thai Red Cross Society has encouraged people to donate their organs and inform their relatives of the intention clearly since a number of patients are waiting for organs, and some of them died last year while waiting.

Organ Donation Center Director Medical Doctor Wisit Thitawat admitted that at present his center lacks donated organs for transplantation. He reported that 120 patients died last year as they were waiting for organs to be transplanted, which accounted for 4.5% on the total waiting list.

At present there are 2,932 patients waiting for organ transplantation but only 8% or 215 of them have received organ transplantation. The rest are waiting in agony while they are paying high expenses.

Medical Doctor Wisit elaborated that most of the problems found were caused by refusal of relatives to donate organs to the center since they were not sure if the deceased would like to donate organs or not.

The Director added that in some cases there was no written evidence certifying their intention, which might earlier be given verbally. He said another problem was the belief that organ donation in this life would lead to a birth with incomplete organs in the next life.

Medical Doctor Wisit hence suggested that all organ donors should state their intention clearly by making an organ donation card with the center to ensure their willingness with their relatives while remaining alive that they wanted to donate organs once they passed away.

-- NNT 2011-03-30

[ginjag]

I don't want posters to take this as a bad thought. BUT with the 350 on average that will die on the roads in the next 2 weeks or so, if it was possible to get each one to donate, you would(red cross) ease the situation by this holiday's incidents. I do realise it is not as easy as my post implies.

[asiawatcher]

Do what they do in Australia - have it as part of the intelligence of the drivers license in the chip. Body on the road? Check the scan and send to the hospital and help some poor bastard live! Simple really even though at this point Thai licenses are just plastic cards. But then comes the do-gooders - what about the body parts black market ? Oh well - worth a thought !