New Delhi, Aug. 29 -- State Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee clarified that he did not say people need not donate their bodies after death, and he only meant that brain-dead patients who were not declared dead should not donate their bodies. Only organs can be donated.
Speaking at a programme at KPC Medical College on Saturday, the minister said: "I only meant that in case of brain-dead patients, despite any pledge, the body should not be donated. In case of brain-dead patients, it is important to donate organs only."
It was earlier reported that according to Mukherjee, former chief minister Jyoti Basu's body has not been used for medical purposes. He said the government was therefore requesting people not to donate their bodies after death. The minister said whole-body donation has limited medical utility and that donating organs could instead help save patients. The decision had triggered resentment among a section of people, who claimed that awareness about body donation was promoted during the CPI(M) regime and that many people still wish to donate their bodies after death.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.