Awareness, attitude, and perception toward organ donation in general population of Haryana, India

Introduction: Organ donation is defined as an act of giving one or more organs, without compensation, for transplantation to another person the shortage of organ donation remains one of the biggest barriers globally to the organ transplantation process. The state of Haryana has in the recent past grown leaps ahead in terms of medical tourism, but according to recent data by the MOHAN Foundation, Haryana is among the poorest performers in organ donation, more specifically cadaveric organ donation. This study aimed to assess the attitudes and awareness of organ donation in the general population of Haryana and to find out the barrier to the low organ donation numbers in the state. Materials and Methods: This study was a community-based cross-sectional study carried out among the general population of Haryana. A questionnaire was administered to 500 randomly selected people above the age of 18 in the chosen population. The data were coded and analyzed using Microsoft Excel and SPSS software. Results: A large number, 40.6% (203/500), of the participants in the survey were unaware of the term "organ donation. " Only 24.5% (72/293) of participants were able to correctly identify that "organ donation " was possible from both cadavers and living human beings. 98.6% (289/293) of the participants of the survey were unaware of any legislation regarding organ donation. A dismal 27.3% (80/293) of participants were willing to donate their organs after death. Of those unwilling, 60.1% (128/213) reported that they did not want to donate because of their religion. Of those willing to donate, 28.7% (23/80) reported that they would only donate to a person of the same religion. Conclusion: The overall levels of awareness about the organ donation and acute shortage of organ donors in Haryana as well as awareness about the prevalent low rates themselves remain low. There are various religious biases leading to negative attitude toward organ donation.