Body donations for medical studies

Iboyaima Laithangbam *

Till recently all sections of people in general and the unlettered ones in particular had a fear psychosis and strong reservation against blood donation. It should not surprise us since some decades back it was believed that one’s life is shortened if one is photographed and still farther people did not touch pots and other utensils which had English inscriptions.

It is a pleasant development that by dint of awareness campaign by some NGOs people have sloughed off the baseless fear and many of them come out as voluntary blood donors on several occasions. There should not be any problem now even in case of mass accidents since there is always a comfortable stock of blood.

It also means that professional blood donors who always hang around blood banks are slowly being driven out of business. These sickly persons who obviously are drug abusers had been doing a brisk business in conjunction with some elements. Not long ago one local editor was demanded a big amount for a bottle of blood badly needed for his ailing kid brother.

Dead bodies are in great demand in the medical colleges and this is no exception for the two medical colleges in Imphal. The students must learn many things from the fresh dead body. Besides there is a department where the dead bodies are preserved for medical studies.

The recent newsreport that some elderly persons had donated their bodies to the medical college for the purpose of studies by the students is very welcome and this should inspire and motivate all others. Instead of being burned or buried, according to religious differences, it is far better to donate the bodies to the medical colleges.

It would mean saving expensive firewood (we do not have electric crematorium as yet). There will be no air and other pollutions. As a result of the rapid urbanisation, demographic changes due to internal and external migrations and the fact that people are out of homes during day time on various works cremation cannot be done within a short time of death.

The homogeneous structure of a locality is no longer there since most of the residents happen to be migrants from other areas. In other words cremation by the local residents has undergone some changes since most of the families are not at cordial, generations old ties.

In the recent past giant sized rats which abound the morgues used to eat up soft parts of the dead bodies in general and eyes in particular. The distraught family members used to complain that eyes had been gouged out for clandestine transplantation.

When the complaints reached crescendo the hospital had to issue a statement dispelling the unfounded fear saying that there is no eye transplatation facility in Manipur. However it still does not exculpate the hospital since it is expected that the dead body will be kept properly so that rodents cannot nibble the bodies.

Now as in case of voluntary blood donation an awareness campaign ought to be created among the people so that there are more and more body donations. The properly trained medical students will be of more help to the society.

As things stand now there are convuluted procedures even if one person wants to donate his dead body. People simply do not know what to do, where and when.

It is incumbent on the hospitals and government to issue public interest notices on what simply things the persons desiring to donate their bodies should do. By way of encouragement such persons should be given a pat on the head by the people’s representatives.

We had contractors, oil agents and others who were honoured with civilian awards. Time has come to reserve these awards for such public spirited persons. They should be made the most honoured citizens of the state.

The educated parents should also motivate their children to follow their foot steps. For the time being the ball is in the court of the administration since a public awareness should be created.