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Letters to the Editor

Encouraging voluntary organ donation

Thursday, 26 January 2023



Sarah Islam, a 20-year-old girl, is reportedly the first person in Bangladesh to posthumously donate two kidneys and corneas. Her consent to donate her organs after the death has given new life to four persons-two with completely damaged kidneys and two without eyesight. The country's first successful transplantation of organs from a brain-dead patient has opened up a new horizon for many. Sarah has been behind a revolution in the country's medical arena and saved at least two lives. Following her, we should encourage everyone to donate their organs posthumously.
Hundreds of lives can be saved through organ and tissue transplants. This can enable many people to live better, and in many cases, survive. However, many people in Bangladesh do not even know about voluntary organ donation. It has been more than 20 years since the country passed the Human Organ Transplantation Act. Yet, the practice of organ donation is for some reasons absent in our society.
This situation is unfortunate, considering that a person dies of organ failure every few minutes in the country. A large number of these lives could possibly be saved if more people were willing to donate their organs after death. The authorities concerned should take religious scholars on board to launch an information campaign that aims at reducing people's hesitancy in this respect. Moreover, celebrities should set examples by declaring that their organs can be used after their death. A kind of social movement can help us raise public awareness, and create a positive attitude among people about organ donation.

Ashikujaman Syed,
Research Assistant,
Bioinformatics Research Lab,
Center for Research Innovation and Development (CRID),
[email protected]