The donation of bodies for medical studies creates great merit. The act of giving creates happiness in both parties--the donor is proud of giving while the recipient receives what he/she needs.
In donating bodies for medical studies, the donor is the greatest giver willing to give up his body to people he has never met, hoping that those who examine his body will use whichever discovery they make for the benefit of the human race. Expecting nothing in return, the donor has committed the final great deed of life in the hope that those left behind will no longer have to suffer from the same diseases or ailments he did.
Benefits์
Body donation for medical studies brings many benefits in terms of education, health care, and morality, which will lead to future social development. Medical personnel, especially in the field of medical research studies, need to learn from human bodies in order to receive important guidelines for treating patients in the future. The benefits of studies on donated bodies are obvious in many areas such as:
1. medical students' education
2. specialists' education
3. nursing students' education
4. medical technician students' education
5. radiologists' training
6. medical research
7. the establishment of anatomy museums
Methods
Those who wish to make body donations can either:
1. [1]at the Division of Body Donation, Secretary Section, King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital. The donor is requested to fill out 3 forms-two of which will be given to the donor while the other will be kept by the official. The official will also issue a donor ID.
or 2. submit their intention form via mail. The donor will fill out 3 donation forms, two of which will be mailed. The official will then mail you your donor ID card.
When the donor passes away, his/her descendants have the right not to give the body to the hospital. This can be done by giving the hospital an objection notice within 24 hours.
However, if the descendants agree to give up the body to the hospital, they will be requested to fill out a form that indicates their willingness to donate the body for medical purposes. The deceased's family can plan for officers to collect the body by contacting:
1. Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine: 02-2564281, 2527028 or 2528181-9 Ext 3247 during office hours.
2. Morgue: 02-2564317 for non-office hours.
The hospital can accept the body only when a death certificate has been issued by the local office responsible for the district where the donor passed away
The hospital can provide a body pick-up only within Bangkok and its suburbs.
Once the hospital has taken the donated body, the relatives will not be allowed to take the body out for a religious rite as this may cause conditions undesirable for the studies.
When the official collects the body, the deceased's relatives should give the most active contact address to the official so that they can be contacted after medical students have examined the body. Any address change should be notified.
The Division of Anatomy may conduct studies on the donated bodies for the purposes of:
1.medical students' and residents' education
2. manual skills training and medical research
After the body has been studied, a committee will provide a funeral and, in special cases, royalty may attend.
Qualifications of donors
Donors must be at least 20 years old. Those who are under 20 must have a written consent from their parents/guardians.
The hospital will not accept bodies in the following cases:
- The donor has been dead for over 24 hours. (except in the case where the body has been stored in a hospital's morgue)
- The donor has undergone an operation or has wounds from head and brain accidents.
- The donor has died from brain cancer or fatal diseases such as AIDS, hepatitis, and tuberculosis.
- The donor is involved in a court case or has undergone an autopsy, except one performed around the abdominal area, which can be used for medical studies.
- The body has been preserved with formalin.
If any of the conditions above are detected after the body has been given up to the hospital, the hospital will contact the donor's relatives to take back the body for a funeral.
Contact Address (during office hours only)
Secretary Division, Administrative Building,
Chulalongkorn Hospital, Thai Red Cross
Pathumwan, Bangkok 10330
Required Documents:
1. Three 1-inch or 2-inch photos
2. a copy of ID card or civil servant ID card
3. a copy of residence registration
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Links:
[1] http://www.redcross.or.th/old/english/donation/self_donation_form.pdf