Thursday, May 07, 2009

Organ Donation

This week has been a hectic week. from IMS, to dialysis centre, to pbl, to preparation for summative and to my very own personal problems.

anyway, the visit to dialysis centre is something worth mentioning. the building itself was quite a run down building which i later found out that its because they have been in this very building since 1993, and this is actually the very first dialysis centre set up by NGO in malaysia.

we were given briefing by a staff there, after which she shared a lot of her experience in dealing with kidney failure patient. basically, as a background information, kidney failure patient is someone with a non-functioning kidney and thus whatever waste produced in our body cannot be excreted out. thus, these people will normally opt for haemodialysis. and this has to be done at least 3 times a week, imagine, our kidney functions 24 hours a day, while they go for 12 hours of dialysis in a week time. and this is a lifelong suffering unless kidney is transplanted to them.

the staff then introduced to us one of the patient whom has gone through haemodialysis for 20+ years. she told us it is embarassing to admit that there's patient who needs to go for haemodialysis for so long and yet to found a kidney for transplantation. she explained that in overseas, the longest that one has to wait is 5 years (!!!)

this is because there's very little awareness in the importance of organ donation here. thus the waiting list goes on longer and longer and longer. there's one saying in buddhism, everyone is born to give. very true indeed. but how many actually realise this, and those that realised this, how many acually practises it? not many. animals, plants, trees sacrificed themselves for us, without asking anything in return. but how about us human? whatever we do, it is our human nature to ask or expect something back in return. for example, employees work, and they expect a pay. so, if we pledge for organ donation, what do we get? nothing. since our organ will only be taken after we are dead, we will not get anything in return if we pledge. so why should we pledge? many reasons.

take for example, if i pledge for organ donation, andddd if i pass away in an accident ( TOUCH WOOD), my organs will be donated to those on the waiting list. you will be surprised that so many organs in our body can be donated to other people. 2 kidneys to donate, but take a guess how many will benefit from this? not 2, but 4!!!! why? because each kidney will benefit 2 individuals, and once these two individuals recovered, they will not require haemodialysis, and another two kidney failure patients will be given opportunity to take up the place, since there are insufficient machines now.

many many other stories were shared by the staff there. inspiring anddd, for the first time in my life ( after 1.5 years in medical school) , i got to feel for thrill and listen to a bruit!!!! my my my!

so ya, what are u waiting for, pledge for organ donation now :)



unsettlement. exhausted. dissappointment.

2 comments:

Kah Hwee said...

well, i've already pledged before i came to jc i think... but i wonder when i die, will people know that i have actually pledged? i put the card in my wallet... im thinking it could be the system that is the problem here... oh well, i dunno much... but yeah, lets do this good deed =)

krou said...

i think when u die, due to accident cause when some of your organs can still be used for transplantation, they will check the record whether u have pledged ady.

yeaa.i think msia should the system in sg, as in, everyone will be considered as a donor unless they opt out. hmmmmm..not a bad idea actually.