Why organ donation should be part of your estate plan

livemint.com:

Take a pledge, create a living will Medical tests are not required to register for organ donation. Those who wish to donate their organs can fill up the pledge form on NOTTO’s website. One can also do so via registered non-government organizations (NGOs) or authorized hospitals.

But a pledge alone doesn’t guarantee organ donation. Hospitals still require the consent of the deceased’s family. “The pledge form requires you to mention at least one family witness and their contact number.

First, convince your family members so that in your absence they are mentally prepared to make it happen," says Kamal Khurana, general secretary at Dadhichi Deh Dan Samiti, an NGO. A living-will is another way of donating your organs or your entire body. It is a legal document of an advanced medical directive in which individuals can express their desire for future medical action against end-of-life care if they go into a coma.

For example, they can decide on whether they want to be kept alive with life-support equipment. “Not many people are aware that they can include organ and tissue donation in their living-will," says certified financial planner Viresh Patel who has drafted his own living-will. “It’s better to include it in the living and regular will both.

Also record a video and provide its details in both wills" he says. Organizations such as Aasaan Will, Yellow and estate planning firms can help you create a living-will. You need to name an executor (preferably a family member) in the document who will execute the living-will in your absence.