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This is a project that aims at funding a MINIMUM OF 100 FREE TRANSPANTS TO WOMEN AND OR CHILDREN in Bangalore, India Initially; who have legal loving donors willing to give them a new chance in life but cannot afford to pay for the treatment/transplant/drugs.
The club membership comprises of renowned transplant surgeons and medical practioners well versed in the treatment process and evaluations.
40 Transplant Surgeries.
Over 90 per cent and over 80 per cent, respectively (kidney and Liver) of surgeries happen in the private sector.
"The expertise is largely there. Surgeons and physicians are equally competent. But the problem is, transplant programs need intensive infrastructure. There is a lot of cost involved. Government hospitals are typically short of staff and resources, so those are much better utilised for other ailments - both for critical and non-critical care," Dr. Jauhari. He adds, "For the private sector, it works because these are centers of excellence and these are high-end surgeries - low volume and high revenue. They are also good for the image of the institution. In the government sector, the infrastructure is not very inviting, so patients who can afford to pay prefer to come to the private sector."
Dr Harsha Jauhari is advisor (organ transplantation) at the National Organ Transplantation and Tissue Organisation (NOTTO) under the health ministry, and senior consultant, renal transplantation at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Delhi.
there's a significant gap between the number of Indians who need a transplant and those that actually end up getting one. According to an estimate made by the Directorate General of Health Services, around 1.8 lakh people suffer from renal failure every year but only 6,000 renal transplants are done each year.
"An estimated 2 lac (sic) patients die of liver failure or liver cancer annually in India, about 10-15 per cent of which can be saved with a timely liver transplant. Hence about 25-30 thousand liver transplants are needed annually in India but only about 1,500 are being performed," the DGHS says.
"Similarly about 50,000 persons suffer from heart failures annually but only about 10 to 15 heart transplants are performed every year in India. In case of cornea, about 25,000 transplants are done every year against a requirement of 1 lakh."
And despite the promise of financial aid from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, the lack of dedicated transplant centres in the public sector is also a hurdle.
Help from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund is available to people from economically weaker sections, usually with the proviso that the patient or family would arrange part of the funds.
Tamil Nadu, for example, the state government covers heart and lung transplant under its health plan. They pay a fixed price of Rs 16-20 lakh per surgery. Beyond that, the patient needs to pay."
What you read above appeared as an article in The Print publication and in a nutshell tells a story. The headline of which could read, ORGAN DONATION IN INDIA, IS STILL THE PRIVILAGE OF THE RICH
The Gift of life Adventure foundation has been working in the field of Organ donation awareness, advocacy and philanthropy since 2017. Formed as a result of the different challenges encountered by a Kidney transplant, the foundation's Managing Trustee Anil Srivatsa was dealing with while he was assisting a teenage boy from Afghanistan, needing a Kidney transplant. For 8 years he as been driving around the world promoting organ donation awareness with a goal of reaching a million potential organ donors with his own story of being a Kidney donor in 2014 and the challenges he faced then as well. As part of its objectives, this NGO is set up primarily for the welfare of Women and Children. This foundation initiated the founding of the world first cause based Rotary club of Organ Donation.
Anil has driven across 51 countries in the past 8 years and has giving over 800 lectures, reaching now about 2 Lac people mostly Indians. He has driven around India 4 times often stopping to give lectures in Schools, colleges, social and service clubs, the Indian Army and more. Since then, the foundation has also been involved in getting judicial remedies for patients and donors who have hit a wall with systems and procedures seeking a judges intervention and has done so successfully.
During one Such drive, he came across the father of a 21 year old girl suffering from a failed liver. Her father, on seeing the marked vehicle being driven, approached Anil seeking help for his daughter. This was in a small town in the State of Gujarat (Dahod). The father was a car driver for a wealthy family and earned a meager $300/month.
One investigation, it turned out that he doctors had given the young girl only 2 months to live as her condition was deteriorating fast unless she got a liver transplant. The family were even unaware that a donor can come from within the family and were given the impression by their doctor that she had a chance only if there was a brain dead patient's liver available and that waiting list was long.
On Anil's insistence, the family gathered to listen to his intervention during which all information was given to the family to make an informed decision to step up to be a living liver donor. This session was successful with the mother and siblings stepping up. The mother was the best match. This story would have been happy till here, until they realized they could NOT afford the INR 23 odd Lacs required to perform this transplant. The local govt. hospital had no capability to do so. Their only hope was a private hospital in Bangalore. For a poor family this would have been the end of the road. The young girl Kamini, had a legal and willing Living liver donor in her mother and yet was not able to afford her surgery. Time was running out. She would have definitely died as most in her situation do because they don't have MONEY. But have lots of LOVE in their homes.
Anil thought his job was done with the counseling to help make a decision to donate from within the family. An effort that would have been wasted and a young life lost due to the lack of adequate funding. Anil got his friends and network in place to begin a crowd funding campaign to save Kamini. This effort also bore fruit and Kamini was able to get the best of medical care and support with the money raised and now her mother and she are healthy.
Kamini is now studying to be a lawyer. This changed her life and is now the poster child for the LIFT UP project.
Life
Increasing
Funded
Transplant for the
Under
Privileged
(LIFT UP) is an ambitious project inspired by the Kamini saga and it's happy ending. This is a project that aims at funding a MINIMUM OF 100 FREE TRANSPANTS TO WOMEN AND OR CHILDREN who have legal loving donors willing to give them a new chance in life but cannot afford to pay for the treatment/transplant/drugs
Here is what is needed to succeed in this mission.
1. Identify and qualify the patient pool
2. Negotiate a fixed price with partner hospitals
3. Raise funds to meet the goals and continue to grow this beyond 100 if possible.
The GOLA foundation has partnered with the Rotary Club of Organ Donation to raise funding upto a million USD to cover the cost of the first batch of 100 transplants. The rotary club will apply for a global grant and invite clubs from around the world to participate to raise this money and have Rotary International match the funding.
GOLA FOUNDATION has identified two Hospital partners in Manipal Hospitals and Aster Hospitals in Bangalore and others in India to commit to a fixed price. An MOU to be drawn with a follow up contract to memorialize this agreement of price and services to the patients.
A committee comprising of the Managing Trustee of GOLA Foundation (Chair of the committee), One member of the Rotary Club of Organ Donation with two others invited from organ Organ donation Medical fraternity will be set up to evaluate the candidates who will be the beneficiaries of this project.
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