Organ Transplant Unit

What is Organ Donation?

Organ Transplants can save lives and give better quality of life to those suffering with end stage organ failure. Organ donation is giving an organ to someone who needs an organ transplant. Heart, lung, kidneys, liver, pancreas and small bowel are the solid organs that can be donated to be transplanted.

What are the types of Organ Donation?

Deceased Organ Donation

This can be of two types.

Brain death - This is where a person no longer has activity in their brain due to a severe brain insult. The insult could be a major trauma, stroke, bleeding, infection or tumour. They have permanently lost the potential for consciousness and the capacity to breathe on their own. Rest of the organs are kept functional, while the brain is dead, by means of ventilator providing oxygen and special drugs to keep the blood circulating.
Circulatory death - Is the irreversible loss of function of the heart after a cardiac arrest from which the patient cannot be resuscitated.

Live Organ Donation

Whilst you are still alive you can choose to donate a kidney, or sometime a small part of your liver. These are the only two organs that you can donate as a Live Donor.

What are the Organs/Tissues you can donate?

One deceased organ donor can donate

Heart
Liver
Lungs
Intestine
Kidneys
Pancrease

to save eight (08) lives.

You can also donate tissues including cornea, tendons and long bones etc. to benefit fifty (50) more people.

What are the restrictions?

Having a medical condition does not always prevent you from becoming an organ donor. At death, a qualified doctor responsible for your care will decide whether some or all organs are suitable for transplant. But, there are a few conditions that will exclude you from donating organs.

You cannot become an organ donor if you have:

HIV, (in some circumstances people with HIV can donate to another person who already has HIV), or
Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (CJD), or
Cancer that has spread in the last 12 months

Your consent for Organ Donation

We can only use your organs and tissue with your consent. To give us your consent, you should:

Tell a relative or close friend about your wishes or
Join the Organ Donor Registry

Putting your name on the National Organ Donor Registry makes it easier for all concerned to know your decision and your relatives to follow them. If your decision is not clear, we will ask the person closest to you what they think you wanted. You should make sure they know your views on donation.

Anyone can join the Organ Donor Registry regardless of age, as long as they are legally capable of making the decision.

Learn more about your consent

How can I register?

Please download a registration form in English or Sinhala language, fill it and post it to the address mentioned below.