New Delhi:
Thirty-eight year old Balbir Singh came to India all the way from Malaysia as a last resort. For Balbir who had acute liver failure, it was a 3-month long, desperate search for a relative with matching blood group who could donate a portion of their liver.
Finally, his nephew from Ludhiana came to Balbir's aid, and he got operated in March, just in the nick of time.
"In India, like many other countries, there are only living donors. By chance if my relatives do not have same blood group, they have to depend on cadavers," said Balbir Singh.
On Saturday, a march was organised in the capital to promote awareness about organ donation. Doctors from Sir Ganga Ram hospital, which has done the largest number of successful liver transplant surgeries in Asia, participated in the walk along with hundreds of others.
But the campaign was mainly targeted at school children, 650 of whom participated.
"This has to be the main approach. Across the world children educate the adults. Children here knew more than adults. The idea is to tell people how one person can save five lives," said Dr Samiran Nundy, Chairman, Surgical Gastroenterology.
India needs around 25,000 donors every year, whereas last year there were only 450 donors. The number was particularly poor in the capital, which saw only 20 donors.
But there is some hope for patients like Balbir. At the end of the Donorthon, several misconceptions about organ donation had been corrected and as many as 656 pledged to donate their organs.
"We were really scared at first but then we came here and heard that we could pledge an organ after death, since after that there is really no use of our bodies," said a participating student.
"I would love to help out people and pledge my support," said another.