Date: July 19, 2022

Crowdfunding – A revolution in Organ & Tissue Transplantation

The life-saving advantages of organ donation and transplantation are well-understood and widely acknowledged. A transplant represents a second shot at life for people in need. Organs such as the kidney, heart, liver, and pancreas can be transplanted, allowing patients to avoid expensive procedures. But this is affected by several factors, including the appalling state of organ donation in India and the cost of carrying out such processes.

The state of organ donation in India is deplorable. Over 10 lakh patients are waiting for corneal transplants, 50,000 for heart transplants, and 20,000 for lung transplants. The crippling cost of organ and tissue transplantation in India, ranging between Rs. 15-20 lakhs, is also often beyond the means of the economically and socially underprivileged. In India, 4 lakh people die every year waiting for a transplant, and for others, the wait for a match can be as long as 18 years. This is exceedingly terrible given that one organ donor can donate 25 different organs to persons in need and, on average, save up to nine lives.

Transplants-Help the Poor Foundation has shown how this crisis can be mitigated by increasing awareness about organ donation, enabling financial support, and generating funds. One of their critical methods for generating funds is crowdfunding for organ transplants.

What is crowdfunding?

Crowdfunding is collecting modest donations from many people, generally online, to raise money for a social cause, project, or company. It alleviates the monetary tension associated with expensive procedures and the subsequent recovery costs.

For example, the average cost of a liver transplant in India is around Rs. 30 lakhs. Even after the procedure is over, various other costs are required during the recovery period. Crowdfunding can help the patient and their family to acquire the needed funds and concentrate on getting healthier.

When crowdfunding is done for medical procedures, it depends on online donors’ altruism and generosity. Many underprivileged people find it difficult to pay their medical bills or even access proper medical advice regarding costly procedures like an organ transplants. Crowdfunding helps them as it does not involve paybacks, loans, or insurance.

Patients, families, and donors can approach Transplant India to create crowdfunding or simply donate.

What bills can crowdfund cover for a medical procedure?

Depending on the amount of money that is raised, organ transplant crowdfunding can cover both medical and non-medical expenses.

Medical expenses include the cost of the procedure, including the pre-tests, surgery, post-operative care, and rehabilitation. It can also cover prescriptions and the required follow-up testing and maintenance.

Who can donate to an organ transplant crowdfunding?

Organ donation, while a noble activity is often not a possibility for everyone. Diseases, and lifestyle choices, often reduce the viability of organ donation. Personal ethics and religious sentiments also play a deciding factor when it comes to organ transplantations.

But not everybody needs to be an organ donor to help out. You can provide much-needed support by organizing fundraising to cover costs. Anyone may use crowdfunding to make an online fundraiser for their needs and enlist the aid of others all around the nation.

Conclusion

Crowdfunding has been a valuable tool for patients with high medical expenditures recently.

In addition to providing financial help, crowdfunding for medical procedures provides patients and their families with additional emotional resources. Crowdfunding serves as a focal point of contributors’ support, reminding them that others are willing to assist. Even the prospect of getting encouragement from total strangers worldwide is encouraging and can provide the much-needed mental strength for recovery. You can start raising money for transplant surgery to give the gift of life to a loved one in need.