With consent

Jyoti Basu has lived up to his frequent refrain that communists serve the people till death. Basu may be doing so even after death,as other long marchers already have or intend to. Pledging ones body and organs for patients in need,as well as for medical research,is a fine instance of leadership by example. If theres more of that from our top public figures in a country with a sordid history of organ-smuggling rackets and an insensible proscription on a donor market that only aggravates illegal organ trade by driving the market underground perhaps some day soon,more and more Indians will come round to donating their organs and cadavers.

Some day soon,presumed consent,whereby ones willingness for organ transplant is assumed unless one or ones family categorically opts out,will smoothly become a part of everyday life and death. Till the early 90s,India led the world as an illegal organ market. The poor would sell vital organs for a paltry sum to desperate,and rich,patients while middlemen grew fat on the disparity between the money paid by the recipient and that received by the donor. Such transactions will persist,as long as the gap between demand and legal supply remains. And harvesting healthy organs from cadavers is far from enough.

Transplants spell the difference between life and death for many,while medical science profits from research on available bodies. Countries which legalised presumed consent saw multiple percentage point jumps in the volume of donors. The global model,of course,is Spain,which galloped to the highest donor rate in the world at about 35 donors per million citizens from a critical shortage of organs for transplant. Belgium and Singapore,for instance,saw donation rates rise by apporximately 180 and 120 per cent,respectively. In sum,not only does organ transplant need free market operations but an environment has to be created for public awareness about the value of transplant and the dangers of organ rackets. Jyoti Basus own organs,barring his eyes,may not be of use for transplants anymore,but the departed leaders last public gesture is a cue for a medical revolution.