Appeal for kidneys of ‘brain dead’

 About 5,000 Sri Lankans become kidney patients annually and 75 percent of them fall sick due to known reasons. Only 25 percent of them become victims of Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Origin (CKDU), Maligawatta National Institute of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation  Institute Deputy Director General Dr. Rathnasiri Hewage said. Addressing a group of journalists at the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited (ANCL) in Colombo yesterday, Dr. Hewage said annually around 750 Sri Lankans become `brain dead’ and there are 1,500 healthy and transplantable kidneys in them.

This number meets the number of total annual kidney requirement of Sri Lanka. Once a person falls into a `brain dead’ condition, he/she will die within two or three days and there is no way in the world to save the life of such a person, he said.

According to Dr. Hewage, at present, any Sri Lankan who wishes to donate his/her kidneys after death, can simply visit www.nindt.health.gov.lk and download the application form, fill it, forward it and obtain the `Card’ issued in order to express the willingness to donate kidneys after death. The contact numbers are 011242233535 / 36.

Dr. Hewage pointed out that if anyone in any ICU is in a `brain dead’ condition, his/her close relations can express consent to donate his/her kidneys by contacting the doctors in the ICU and the Transplant Coordinators in the relevant hospital.

The Government has legalized kidney donations of dead persons and the dead person or his/ her relatives can earn immeasurable merit by making the donation that will save a precious life.

All information of donors and recipients are strictly protected and only one person in the country has access to the information. The information is not available online. Therefore, there is no way of matching the kidneys of the donors and recipients by a second or third party and `arrange’ donations. On the other hand, a kidney cannot be donated that easily because three sets of one medical tests should be done in order to match a donor and a recipient, he added.