PGIMER organises 'Transplant Games-2016'

Over 300 persons including donors and beneficiaries of organ transplantation will tomorrow participate in 'Transplant Games-2016' organised by the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), here.
The games are being organised to demonstrate the success of organ transplant as well as encourage the donor ship of vital organs.
The sporting arena at PGIMER will witness games like Cricket, 100m race, 400m relay race, badminton, 400m walk, Javelin and Shot-put throw and Carrom among others.
"More than 300 persons who have undergone kidney, liver, heart, pancreas transplantation have already registered for the games," said an official spokesperson of PGIMER here today.

Although most athletes competing at the World Transplant Games are those who have had a successful organ transplant, PGIMER has relaxed this criteria to include organ donors as well.
According to doctors at the institute, each year hundreds of people die from brain death due to head injury, brain tumor or brain hemorrhage. Since the awareness of brain death and subsequent organ donation is lacking among people, very few opt for organ donation.

About 250 patients undergo renal transplantation at the Department of Renal Transplant Surgery, PGIMER every year but only 50 out of these are from brain dead donors.

These games are held across the world by the World Transplant Games Federation. It has been staging sporting events for such athletes for the past 35 years in order to demonstrate the physical success of transplant surgery and to raise awareness about the need to increase organ donation.
The first such games were held in India on March 28, 1981 at PGIMER and thereafter have been held in various other cities. Last such event took place at PGI in 2014.