Community leaders urged to increase organ donation awareness among ethnic groups

Community leaders were entrusted with the task to raise awareness about organ donation among Indian Hindu and Jain communities during an event that was hosted by Lord Gadhia in Parliament last Wednesday (12).

The event was attended by health minister Jackie Doyle-Price MP and Kirit Modi, a kidney transplant recipient and Life vice-president of the National Kidney Federation.

Lord Gadhia praised the opt-out system with safeguards for organ donation, saying it could reduce the shortage of organs and save lives.

Lord Gadhia said:  “We have just had Organ Donation Week and even more significantly we have recently had the publication of the Government’s response to the Public Consultation on Deemed Consent – which supports legislation, backed by wide cross-party support – to introduce a system of opting-out rather than opting-in.

"There is very strong international evidence that moving to an opt-out system increases organ donation over time. For example, Spain and Belgium have climbed international league tables to become leaders in organ transplantation since they introduced deemed consent.”

Doyle-Price said there was an urgent need for more people from Hindu and Jain communities to support organ donation.

"Donation is a gift, but we must do all we can to tackle taboos and encourage people to have the conversations with loved ones. We know that religious leaders support this important cause, yet organ donation rates from these communities remain low. That’s why we have recently launched a new community scheme that will support local leaders in the Hindu and Jain communities to raise awareness of this issue.”

Modi highlighted the need for more organ donors after death and living kidney donors from the Hindu and Jain communities.

He said: ”Hinduism and Jainism support organ donation and, by working in partnership with the Government and local hospitals, I am confident that we can make a significant contribution by increasing organ donors from our communities,” he said.

The meeting also discussed the measures that can be taken to double the number of Hindu and Jain living kidney donors and donors after death.