PH doctors eye India transplant record

MANILA, Philippines—Even Filipino doctors want to be part of the Guinness book of world records.

Celebrating the 31st founding anniversary of the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), health officials announced their plan to break India’s record of having the most number of people willing to donate their organs to save others.

“This is an awareness campaign on organ transplantation, which is a process of rebirth, a process of giving back life to patients,” said Dr. Ricardo Quinto III, head of the Integrated Vascular Services Complex of the NKTI.

The Filipino doctors will make the attempt on Feb. 28, Quinto said in a press briefing.

India holds the record of having enlisted a total of 2,755 people in a period of one hour and in one place who are willing to donate their organs.

India also holds the record of gathering the most number of signatures—10,450 in all—of potential donors in a period of eight hours and also in a one place.

6,000 signatures

Dr. Antonio Paraiso, manager of the Department of Heath (DOH) Philippine Network for Organ Sharing (Philnos) Program, said the sites where they hoped to gather thousands of  potential donors would be Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP) in Sta. Mesa, Manila; the Quezon Memorial Circle, Quezon City; the RTMC hospital in San Fernando City, La Union; L. Mamba Gym in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan; JMR Coliseum in Naga City, Camarines Sur; and Almendra’s Gym in Davao City, Davao del Sur.

Philnos is the main organizer of the event.

“The goal is to reach 5,000 to 6, 000 signatures in an hour and 15,000 signatures for eight hours in one site,” Paraiso said.

Health officials believe the Philippines can beat India despite the latter being one of the world’s most highly populated countries.

“I believe the Philippines, as a Christian nation, can actually outdo a non-Christian country like India,” Paraiso said.

Be a lifeline now

While the Catholic Church in the Philippines is against the sale of human organs, it supports organ donation and transplantation, according to the doctors.

“You can be a lifeline now while you are still alive,” Paraiso said, referring to potential donors.

According to Philnos, participants in the Feb. 28 event will be asked to signify their willingness to donate their organs in the event they die.

“Usually, those able to donate were those who died in an accident or in a violent manner,” Paraiso said.

Registry of donors

The DOH and the NKTI also plan to create a national registry of potential organ donors.

“This is to ensure that we have a list of volunteers who are willing to donate their organs,” NKTI Executive Director Jose Dante Dato said.

On Feb. 28, the attempt will start at 9 a.m. for the one-hour category in all participating venues. The eight-hour category starts at 9 a.m. and will run until 5 p.m.

Health officials say it is rare for a government to participate in a Guinness World Record event but that breaking the records would help them save more people in need of organ transplants.

To ensure that the Philippines will beat the Guinness World Record, Paraiso said teachers and students of the PUP in Manila had begun doing rehearsals.

Waiver needed

“We have to make sure we register 100 people in one minute to beat the record. So we have to do it in a very orderly fashion,” Paraiso said.

The participants will be required to sign legal documents to signify their willingness to donate any of their body organs when they die.

According to the DOH, before a person can become a cadaver donor, he or she must be certified as brain dead.

Once tagged as brain dead, organs such as kidneys, the liver, pancreas, lungs, corneas and the heart can be harvested from the donor.