Oftentimes, we don't realize the power of our organs and how many lives they can actually save.

In the U.S., a person is listed for transplant every 11 minutes. That's 130 people joining the list every day. And if that statistic isn't heartbreaking enough, consider that while 75 people receive organ transplants each day on average, 19 people die each day waiting for transplants because of the shortage of available donor organs," according to the National Network of Organ Donors.

Organ transplantation has become an accepted medical treatment for end-stage organ failure. But NNOD points out that only people "who are willing to make the generous, selfless decision to become organ donors can help make life-saving transplants happen and prevent these needless deaths."

Measures around the world are being taken to promote organ transplantation.  More specifically, Spanish doctors are visiting Mumbai, India in an effort to boost cadaver organ transplantation programs.

According to dna india, Spanish doctors have suggested that every hospital, which is into organ transplant, set up a separate 'cadaver donation' department. Two doctors from Spain have been invited by the state Public Health Department and Zonal Transplantation Co-ordination Committee (ZTCC) to visit city hospitals in the context of cadaver donation program.

This past week, Spanish doctors, who are experts in cadaver donation, have visited several public and private hospitals in the city and interacted with local doctors.

Dr Marti Manyalich, president and medical director, Donation and Transplantation Institute (DTI) and associate professor, University of Barcelona, has been speaking on the Spanish model of cadaver organ harvesting and Dr Maria Paula Gomez of DTI has been providing information about the role of transplant coordinators in Spain, dna india adds.

"Cadaver donors are people who have been declared brain dead and whose organs are kept functioning by machines until they can be used for transplantation. Sources said that of 103 brain-dead persons identified in Maharashtra last year, 35 had agreed to donate organs.

"In Spain, there is a model for 'negative consent' or 'opt out' consent for all brain-death cases. This means that the relatives of the donor have to sign a consent form that they do not want the organs to be removed for organ donation from the cadaver. Organ harvesting can be done automatically in all other cases where there has been no objection from the family or relatives. The number of cadaver donations in Spain is 200 times more than that of India."