DOI: 10.36347/sjams.2021.v09i06.044

Pages: 1093-1116

Introduction: Medical institutions and hospitals worldwide and India in specific are typically facing an acute shortage of donated human body and organ. Among the bouquet of reasons, awareness, attitude, legal and medical knowledge are undoubtedly the prime factorials. A better understanding will enhance this noble strategy. With the objective to interpret the dismal behavior of Indian community related to body / organ donation, we try to access the mental makeup of a cohort of urban population of tribal city of Raigarh of Chhattisgarh (India) with Undergraduate MBBS students and paramedical staff of late Shri Lakhiram Agrawal Memorial Government Medical College as the study sample. Materials and methods: A pretested self-structured questionnaire distributed to 630 (181 MBBS students and 449 Paramedical staff) participants who consented to participate followed by an awareness session with the researchers. Data obtained was statistically analyzed. Results: Among 181 MBBS students and 449 paramedics who filled consent forms, the overall awareness was found to be 90.42% with 66.03% gathering information from medical faculty of the College, followed by media (33.97%). 81.75% supported body / organ donation as need of the hour. 72.37% Medico’s and 27.64% paramedics were aware about “brain dead”. 45.30% and 31.63% were registered donors and 66.55% giving positive response to donate organs for their relatives or friends. Appropriate legal view on donation was known by 26.51% individuals only. Simultaneously, due to organ mutilation 21.55% of MBBS students and 11.59% paramedics showed unwillingness towards donation programme. Religious attitudes were also one of the causes of displeasure towards the donation programme for 22.18% respondents. Conclusion: Medical professionals are the critical in eradicating doubts regarding body / organ donation programme. A specially designed teaching intervention can be proposed in Medical teaching curriculum along with mass level ........