Woman Police Force to Donate Their Organs Interestingly, 800 women from this battalion have already pledged whole body organ donation individually at AIIMS's Organ Retrieval Banking Organization ( ORBO) since January this year. On the occasion of the International Women's Day on Tuesday, the whole battalion pledged their organs in the presence of President Pratibha Patil at Jharoda Kalan.

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	Woman Police Force to Donate Their Organs! In a country where not many believe in donating their organs after death, Central Reserve Police...

First, they broke tradition by joining the country's paramilitary forces - a profession not yet synonymous with a common Indian woman. And now, they have once again paved the way for a not-so-common practice - pledging to donate their eyes and other body organs at AIIMS's "brain death donor registry" for organ retrieval.

In a country where not many believe in donating their organs after death, Central Reserve Police Force's entire 88 Mahila Battalion - the world's first all-woman paramilitary battalion - on Tuesday pledged their bodies for use after they die "so that they continue to serve the nation even after death".

One whole body donation can help over 40 needy patientsInterestingly, 800 women from this battalion have already pledged whole body organ donation individually at AIIMS's Organ Retrieval Banking Organization ( ORBO) since January this year. On the occasion of the International Women's Day on Tuesday, the whole battalion pledged their organs in the presence of President Pratibha Patil at Jharoda Kalan.

Commander Nitu D Bhattacharya of the battalion told TOI, "We have already pledged our lives to the nation. The idea is to be of some service even after death. I have donated my eyes when I was in class IX. Organs are needed in large numbers in India and I believe everybody should at least donate their eyes. It did take some time to convince all the girls in the battalion and their families."

ORBO's faculty in charge, Dr Aarti Vij, said, "It's a great act of selfless service not just to our country but also to society." She said ever since the brain death registry that began in 2004, over 13,500 people have pledged their organs. While some have pledged their organs for medical research, most have agreed to donate them for use on other patients needing a transplant of vital organs to survive.

Brain death, however, is still not completely accepted by IndiansPatients who are brain dead have suffered complete and irreversible loss of all brain function and are clinically and legally dead. Mechanical ventilation and medications keeps their heart beating and blood flowing to their organs.

After natural death, when the heart stops beating, only a few tissues like cornea, bone, skin and blood vessels can be donated whereas after brain death, almost 37 different organs and tissues can be donated.

Though India legalized the concept of brain death and facilitated organ procurement from brain dead donors for the first time in 1994 through the new Transplantation of Human Organs Act, the concept is yet to take off among Indians who feel the patient has hope to recover until his heart beats.

"Some organs can only be saved when blood circulates through them. The moment blood circulation stops, except for kidney and cornea, no other organ can be used," experts added.