MUMBAI: The television network that is known for taking up social issues through awareness campaigns is adding another to its cap.
NDTV, in partnership with Fortis Healthcare, has hosted the More To Give walkathon. The campaign intends to promote and raise awareness about organ donation, in lieu of the low rate of organ donation compared to a high rate of requirement for organ transplants in our country on the occasion of Indian Organ Donation Day.
The walkathon was flagged off by actor and the ambassador for the NDTV Fortis More To Give campaign Irrfan Khan along with Paralympic silver medalist Deepa Malik. “Every year, about four lakh people die awaiting organ transplants because of non-availability of organs. With More to Give, we aim to raise awareness about the pressing need for organ donations and encourage people to join this cause,” said NDTV group CEO and executive vice chairperson K V L Narayan Rao.
The campaign was launched earlier this year decided to take up the cause of organ donation in an effort to positively impact the well-being of the nation. It aimed at sensitizing the eco-system, raising awareness around organ donation, creating a nationwide movement for people to pledge their organs and to make the process of pledging easily accessible to the masses.
Malik said, “When people like Irrfan promote such a campaign it becomes an instrument of awareness. We must initiate such campaigns. The Walkathon is not about walking, the message should prevail.”
According to current statistics, in India, the current organ donation rate is 0.5 donors per million population as compared to more than 30 donors per million in some western countries.
Fortis Healthcare CEO Bhavdeep Singh asserted, “There is a widening chasm between the demand of organs for people at end stages and their availability. Adding to the complexity is the lack of awareness, simultaneously surrounded by superstitions which present themselves as the key obstacles. Donating organs is a humanitarian cause that will gain momentum with increasing awareness in society. At Fortis, we will continue to contribute as much as we can by educating people and saving more and more lives. This walkathon is a reminder that each one of us has more to give.”
As a culmination of the four-month long campaign, the walkathon was organized across 5 cities – New Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Mohali and Chennai which saw people from all walks of life including students, Corporates, etc. participating in the event.
“I talk about Organ Donation to everybody who is around me. My relatives have faced problems, my nephew's wife has suffered organ failure. Please donate your organs, make someone else live their life: Irrfan Khan, Actor and #MoreToGive Campaign Ambassador,” added Khan.
