Donor burden
Organ donation places physical and psychological stress on women, especially when forced. As all the doctors who spoke to TNM acknowledged, living organ donation is a complex surgery that can have a lasting impact on the donor. This is further exacerbated by the fact that a significant number of Indian women are malnourished and anemic. According to the 2022 National Family Health Survey, 182.9 million people are malnourished in the country, the majority of whom are women and children. As a result of this poor nutritional status, women suffer from anemia, which further harms the newborn.
In addition to being disadvantaged in terms of nutrition and general physical health, women often have little physical autonomy in most Indian households. The combination of low literacy, lack of independent income, and vulnerability to domestic violence leaves women with few options when pressured to donate their organs to start a family. is common.
Dr. Amarupavanathan agrees. he says: “Women have very little agency when it comes to decisions like this. This is major surgery. Who would be willing to go through major surgery where they lose their organs? In most cases, women have either the option of donating their organs or There is a lot of pressure to sell on the black market.”
Confirming donors' fears, doctors say on-the-table fatalities, in which donors die during surgery, are rare. They agree that about a decade ago, when organ donation was still in its infancy, several donor deaths were reported. However, advances in medicine and technology have allowed donor deaths to be minimized.
Before the organ is removed, the patient is expected to undergo several tests to ensure that he or she is suitable to undergo this complex surgery. Dr. Vivek told of an example in which a donor underwent surgery to harvest an organ, but the liver was found to be unsuitable and the medical team subsequently decided not to proceed with the transplant.
How can we combat gender bias?
To ensure that the burden of organ donation does not fall unduly on women, transplant surgeons suggest cadaveric transplants rather than living donor transplants. As the name suggests, cadaver transplants rely on organs harvested from a corpse. Dr Amarupavanathan explains that cadaver organs are distributed based on a waiting list registered by patients. “Cavicad organs are donated strictly on a waiting list, regardless of gender. One of the main objectives of promoting cadaver organ transplantation is to ensure that women do not become victims of forced donation.”
He added that even cadaveric transplants will be of little use unless patriarchal notions about organ donation are dismantled. “If 100 men and women are diagnosed with kidney failure, all men are likely to receive a kidney transplant. But only 50 or 60 women may do the same. It’s a reflection of how they treat women.”
Dr. Sunil also believes that cadaver donation is the way forward. “Unless we shift our focus from living donation to cadaver donation, the gender disparity among organ donors will not be resolved. For example, we have a large number of road accidents in this country. Donating human organs could pave the way for more cadaver donations.”
