President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday expressed concern over the unethical practices related to organ donation and said it is the responsibility of an aware society to solve problems like these.

Addressing the ninth convocation of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS) here, President Murmu said, ”In our country, there is a need to organise more and more awareness campaigns on a larger scale to encourage people about organ donation.”

She said that due to non-availability of the sufficient number of organs, many patients are deprived of liver, kidney or any other transplant.

She emphasised the need to pay more attention to preventive healthcare. ”It can be said that the liver is the security guard of our body. Health problems related to the liver are serious in our country and the huge number of diseases caused by them is a cause for worry,” she said, adding the ILBS is expected to make a significant contribution to the prevention of liver diseases.

President Murmu advised doctors to take care of themselves. She said amidst challenges like long duty hours, continuous emergency cases and night duties, they have to continuously serve the patients with full alertness and enthusiasm. Therefore, it is important that despite all the challenges, they all remain physically, mentally and spiritually healthy and alert

Speaking on the occasion, President Murmu said that ILBS has carved its own niche in a span of only 13 years on the strength of world-class efficiency and integrity. She was happy to note that more than 1,000 liver transplants and about 300 renal transplants have been performed at ILBS. She stated that India is becoming an international healthcare hub on the strength of institutions like ILBS by providing world-class health services at relatively low cost.

The President said with the integration of life sciences and modern information technology, revolutionary changes are taking place in the field of healthcare. She termed the establishment of the Artificial Intelligence Learning Unit in ILBS as a timely initiative. She urged ILBS to continue to work in the field of research along with providing treatment.