Paul John F. Barrosa / Bicol Mail Thursday, November 28 2013
NAGA CITY — Consistent with the H2ELP your CiTy agenda of the present administration, the legislative council here passed on Tuesday the first ever ordinance in the country that promotes donation of organs from deceased individuals.
Ordinance No. 2013-051, otherwise known as The Organ for Life Ordinance of Naga City, authored by Councilor David Casper Nathan A. Sergio, provides for a comprehensive and massive information dissemination
campaign on organ donation. It also prescribes for the city mayor to offer incentives to the family of deceased donors in the form of community recognition, preferential access to donated organs and/or health insurance.
An Organ Donor Card shall be issued to persons who would like to donate any of his body organs after his death, subject to the protocol and procedures established by the Department of Health (DOH). The Organ Donor Card shall bear the signatures of the donor and one of his/her relatives as a sign of conformity and one’s charitable intention and magnanimity
Should the prospective donor change his mind, however, he should notify the City Health Office and properly turn over the Organ Donor Card.
“Organ donation is a personal decision but we are appealing to everyone to look at the point of view of saving another life through the deceased organ donation.
Thousands of Filipinos die every year from organ failure, most of them die due to lack of organ donors,” said Councilor Nathan Sergio.
The Organ for Life Ordinance of Naga City also compels individuals who are applying for marriage license and driver’s license to attend a brief orientation on human organ donation for them to understand and appreciate the value of such action.
“There are many people looking for donors, especially those with kidneys problems. Dialysis and other kinds of treatment only prolong the agony. What these individuals really need is for them to undergo organ transplantation.
However, the limited number of available donors restricts their recovery and, subsequently, compromises their lives. The Organ for Life Ordinance of Naga City will address that supply problem,” Councilor Sergio stated.
Dr. Antonio Paraiso, Philippine Network for Organ Sharing (PhilNOS) program manager, lauded the ordinance for being the first local legislation to be passed in the country.