In the Philippines, being an organ donor is atypical, and for a country fraught with false notions and superstitions, launching organ donor awareness is easier said than done. Perhaps another contributing factor to Filipino¶s apathy on organ donation is their lack of knowledge on the subject and also that information about it is hard to find. One of the main reasons research show is that Filipino¶s don¶t know exactly about what they need to do in order to become one. Perhaps the word µregistration¶ to an average Filipino is equivalent to long queue¶s, pages and pages of forms to fill out answering questions they don¶t understand, in short, a waste of time. What they don͛t know is that the most important way of ͚registering͛ to become an organ donor is to talk about it with ones friends and family. In that small way, an individual would already have registered his or her wishes to people whom he knows will carry out what he wants if and when the individual will pass away. It is most advisable as well that a person who has decided to donate his organs when he dies, is to discuss this decision with the person who will have the final say. For example if you were single and you have decided to donate your organs when the time comes, you would communicate your decision to your parents. Or, if you were a husband who has come to such a decision as well, you would tell your wife Yes, there are forms to fill out and an organ donor card that can be issued to a person once a decision like this has been made but as was stated earlier, a persons¶ talking this kind of choice over with family and friends already ensures that his or her wishes be carried. The forms are merely for formality and also for certain situations where in other people need to know as well. A common example of this is when an individual meets an accident and dies as a result and there is no one available to let the medical people know of the said individuals wishes and by the time the family is able to communicate with the medical people, it is already to late for the organs to be harvested. In principle, contrary to most peoples¶ common notion those only organs such as the heart, liver, kidneys and eyes are what they can donate and can be transplanted. This notion is actually not entirely true as facts said that currently, transplanted human tissues include bone, corneas, skin, heart valves, veins, cartilage and other connective tissues. Tissues such as these can be used to treat patients suffering from congenital defects, blindness, visual impairment, trauma, burns, dental defects, arthritis, cancer, vascular and heart disease. In addition, many heart valves are used to treat children with congenital defects of their own heart valves. Novartis supports government organ donation advocacy (The Philippine Star) Updated December 17, 2009 12:00 AM Comments (0) The National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI) has partnered with Novartis Healthcare Philippines in a public awareness campaign on the safety and nobility of organ donation to save lives. Photo shows (from left): Dr. Francis Domingo, chief scientific officer, Novartis Healthcare Philippines; NKTI executive director Dr. Enrique Ona; Dr. Angeles Tan-Alora, member, Southeast Asian Center for Bioethics; NKTI consultant and nephrologist Dr. Antonio Paraiso; and Liza Montellano, business franchise manager, Novartis Healthcare Philippines, holding a symbolic lifesaver bearing the campaign¶s key message, µSave a life. Be a hero. Be an organ donor.¶ MANILA, Philippines - Novartis is supporting the government¶s advocacy on organ donation to address two important public health issues: the growing number of Filipinos with end-stage organ failure and the acute lack of organ donors in the country. Two nationwide surveys conducted in 2001 and 2005 showed that public awareness on organ donation and transplantation is relatively low. ³Novartis unequivocally supports and sponsors ethical, legal and non-commercial efforts to promote organ donation and recruit voluntary organ donors. We are privileged to work with the Philippine government in increasing public awareness on the nobility of organ donation,´ said Eric van Oppens, president and CEO of Novartis Healthcare Philippines. ³For a person with end-stage organ failure, the only chance for survival is an organ transplant. Unfortunately, the waiting list for organ recipients is long because transplantable organs and willing organ donors are scarce. Approximately one person with kidney failure will die each week while waiting for an organ transplant,´ according to Dr. Enrique Ona, executive director of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI). Growing demand for kidney donors While dialysis is the first-line treatment for kidney failure, it cannot totally replace the function of the kidneys, Ona said. ³Only another kidney can perform the role of this vital organ. Moreover, a kidney transplant is better than lifelong dialysis in terms of quality of life, survival and cost,´ he said. Ona revealed that every year about 10,000 Filipinos develop kidney failure mainly from diabetes and high blood pressure. However, he continued, only about 7,000 Filipino patients annually are able to start lifelong dialysis, a number that increases by 10 percent each year. ³Half of these patients die after a year because either they can no longer afford dialysis or they cannot find a suitable kidney donor. Due to the acute lack of kidney donors, only 500 Filipino patients receive a kidney transplant every year,´ he said. Dr. Antonio Paraiso, NKTI consultant nephrologist, urged all concerned stakeholders to help remove the stigma of organ donation through a sustained advocacy. ³The only way we can save the lives of the thousands of Filipino patients with kidney failure is to increase the country¶s organ pool for transplantation,´ he said. According to Ona, the number of brain dead or deceased donors and living donors ² the preferred sources of transplantable organs ² in the country remains woefully low. In 1991, a television documentary exposed an alleged ³kidneys-for-sale racket´ ran by brokers of kidney transplants. The documentary sparked a national controversy that led to a Senate investigation. Protecting organ donors To prevent the commercialization of organ donors, the DOH and NKTI are implementing the Philippine Organ Donation Program (PODP). The PODP ensures, among others, the prioritization of Filipino patients in the organ recipient waiting list; the safety of both organ donor and recipient; that payment as precondition for kidney donation and sale/purchase of kidneys from organ vendors are strictly prohibited; and that kidney transplantation is not part of medical tourism. ³Organ donation should be based on free and informed consent. Let us work together to remove the conditions that promote abuse and exploitation, such as poverty, ignorance and greed,´ said Dr. Angeles Tan-Alora, a member of the Southeast Asian Center for Bioethics. ³Novartis endorses the Declaration of Istanbul, which prohibits transplant commercialism, organ trafficking and transplant tourism,´ said van Oppens. ³We are committed to working with the DOH, NKTI and other local stakeholders in ensuring that the principles of the Declaration of Istanbul are adopted at all times.´ Novartis, in collaboration with transplantation organizations around the world, created the Transplantation Tree of Life initiative. This two-pronged program promotes awareness on voluntary organ donation, the lack of available organs, the unmet medical needs in transplantation as well as Novartis¶ commitment and focus on improving long-term outcomes in transplantation. To date, the Transplantation Tree of Life program has been launched in South Korea, Russia, France, Germany, Portugal, Poland, Austria, Greece, Spain and Thailand. Ona appealed to the general public to help save the lives of thousands of Filipinos with end-stage organ disease of the kidney or liver. He stressed that advances in medical technology and knowledge have made modern organ retrieval and transplantation dramatically safer. ³There are few, if any, long-term effects if you donate one of your kidneys. You only need to get blood and urine tests and your blood pressure checked at least once a year,´ Ona said. ³Kidney donors save lives. Be a hero, be an organ donor.´ Why are all these stars asking you to carry this card? By Girlie E. Rodis (The Philippine Star) Updated July 06, 2010 12:00 AM Comments (0) Showbiz¶s royal couple Richard Gomez and Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez with daughter Juliana say yes to organ donation. Photo by Philip Sison MANILA, Philippines - How pessimistic to already be thinking of death when all these celebrities are at the prime of their health! And why are so many of them telling you to carry an Organ Donor Card? ³No!´ they all emphatically declare. There¶s nothing morbid about carrying an Organ Donor Card. It should be seen as a practical, if not a noble, idea. Death is an inevitable reality, and for all these stars, when the light of life dims, they¶ll be leaving behind the gift of life. Dawn Zulueta-Lagdameo, one of the most outspoken advocates of this cause, shares, ³When I first told my husband I was thinking of donating my organs when my time on earth is up, it mortified him. We were watching an episode of Oprah and organ donation was the topic. He didn¶t want to discuss it. But I was firm on my stand. I told him that the reason I take care of my health is so that I can live a good, long life for our children. But death is a reality, and I hope that he would respect my wishes.´ Joanne Zapanta-Andrada, another committed advocate and governor of the Philippine National Red Cross, narrates, ³Even before I got wind of this card, it was already in my plan.