Bhubaneswar: For the first time in Odisha, around 10,000 people are expected to pledge to donate organs on 30 January, 2017. The event if goes as planned will find place in the Guinness Book of World Records for ‘Most people to sign up as organ donors in one hour (multiple venues)’.
To create awareness among the people to donate body and organs and mark the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Body and Organ Donation Initiative (BODI) is organising the programme.
“Organ and body donation is at a nascent stage in Odisha. Besides, in the sheer absence of awareness among people to donate organs and other vital body parts, hundreds of people are dying in Odisha. If we can donate our body parts which can give a new lease of life to others, then it’s certainly a noble cause we are doing even after death”, said Pravas Acharya, president, BODI.
He informed that the event will be organised at 20 places in 10 locations of the State including Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Berhampur, Rourkela, Baripada, Balasore, Keonjhar, Sambalpur and Puri.
To make the event successful, the organisation has roped in around 500 stewards, student volunteers and supervisors. BODI had sent invitation to major institutions in the State, including engineering colleges, to send their students to the record breaking attempt and also pledge to donate organs after death.
National Service Scheme (NSS), Odisha region, Lok Sevak Mandal (Servants of the People Society), Utkal University, Ravenshaw University, North Orissa University, Fakir Mohan University and several other educational institutions have agreed to extend their support, he stated.
“Instead of simply pledging to become an organ donor, we want to make sure that the youths understand why this is a very important issue. We want them to know why they need to be aware and how they can help”, Acharya pointed out.
Acknowledging the event, the authorities of Guinness Book of World Records have given a go ahead to organise the programme and issued a slew of guidelines, he informed.
Currently, Sri Ramakrishna Hospital in Tamil Nadu holds the Guinness World Record for ‘Most people to sign up as organ donors in eight hours’. The hospital had enlisted the support of 13,459 persons in eight hours.