Mumbai walks with Fortis to create awareness for Organ Donation

• Actor-Comedian Manish Paul and Singer-Lyricist Swanand Kirkire joined 600 participants to cover a distance of over 3kms

• Walkathon also organized in Gurgaon, Mohali & Chennai saw enthusiastic participation

Mumbai, November 27, 2016: On the occasion of Indian Organ Donation Day today, Fortis Healthcare organized a walkathon where Actor-Comedian Manish Paul and Singer-Lyricist Swanand Kirkire walked alongside 600 odd participants to champion the cause of organ donation. The walk that covered a distance of over 3kms started at the Fortis Hospital in Mulund this morning at 7:30am. The walkathon was also simultaneously hosted at Gurgaon, Chennai and Mohali to raise awareness across the nation towards organ donation.

‘Fortis NDTV More to Give Walkathon – A Step towards Organ Donation’ was part of the commitment towards the cause of creating awareness around the loss of lives that happen for the want of organs. The objective of the walk was to generate a dialogue about the cause of Organ Donation by taking it to the streets of India where the common man can show their support for the cause. Nationally, as many as 10,000 participants along with leading personalities lent support to the walk & joined the walk. 

A single donor can save eight lives by donating the heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas and small bowel. Also, by donating organs and tissues like eyes, skin, bones etc., a single donor cantouch several lives. Over the last five years, the organ donation rate in the country has increased ten-fold from 0.05 to 0.5 per million and is likely to touch the 1 per million population mark in 2016. We have made a start but still have a long way to go. 

Amplifying the message of the hundreds of participants, Dr. S Narayani, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, who flagged off the walkathon said, “It is indeed inspiring to see so many people come forward to participate in the More to Give Walkathon. We at Fortis Healthcare are passionate about organ donation and we believe that building awareness about this will help people understand how we all can play a pivotal role in saving and enriching lives.”

Dr. AnvayMulay, Head of the Cardiac Transplant Team, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, also made an ardent plea to those in attendance, saying, “Organ donation is such a powerful and lifesaving decision; our endeavour today is that more and more people understand its importance. There’s a huge waitlist of deserving patients across the country who await a healthy organ in time. We need to change this scenario in our country in a progressive manner.”

Fortis has pioneered the cause as two of its hospitals run the largest heart transplant program in the country. Fortis Malar Hospital, Chennai has performed 122 heart transplants which is maximum for any healthcare provider in Asia. Fortis Hospital at Mulund, Mumbai performed a record 35 heart transplants in a span of little over a year. Since 2012, when the FORT program was initiated, 42 organ donors from 10 Fortis hospital across the country have already donated a total of 128 organs including 17 hearts, 33 livers, 76 kidneys, 1 lung and 1 pancreas.  In addition, 110 pairs of eyes have been donated.

Dr. Avnish Seth, Director, Fortis Organ Retrieval & Transplant, Fortis Healthcare added that, “Altruism comes easily to us as a nation. The availability of medical expertise, infrastructure and increasing awareness on organ donation, coupled with a thrust from the Government provided by National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) and the landmark Transplant Rules of 2014 are ready to propel India into a new exciting phase of deceased organ donation.”