Give the body to UNAM, a decision that helps the progress of medicine

She is only 18 years old and is in first year at the Faculty of Medicine of UNAM, but Imelda Galloso has already decided to donate her body so that the same institution where she is now formed, once without life, invests her; Perhaps they make important discoveries through their altruistic act or do they simply contribute to the knowledge and training of doctors in the future.

The Body donation program of the Faculty of Medicine was created in October 2016 after the University authorities realized that it was necessary to remodel the school's amphitheater. That's why they visited universities in the United States where the culture of donor agencies It was already rooted and they came back with the idea of ​​developing a UNAM program.

At first, says Dr. Diego Pineda, Head of Department of Innovation of Human Biological Materials responsible for the program, the idea of ​​welcoming people was that it would influence religion and beliefs, "but we realized that we were wrong, the Mexican is altruistic and he likes to donatebut he does not know where he can do it. "

On the one hand, the program provides tools for medical students and specialists in different fields of health to improve their professional practices and, on the other hand, encourages research projects in the field of health. diseases and causes of death of the Mexican population.

In order for the registration to be valid, it is necessary that the person concerned put your fingerprint and your signature on a document issued by the UNAMas well as the signature of two witnesses who respect the decision of the donor and will inform the institution if the subject dies.

According to data from the Faculty of Medicine, in 2016 27 people subscribed and now They carry more than 2000. In addition, more than 40 corpses were received, all of which have a known clinical history.

Although it may seem like a small number, Mr. Pineda stresses the importance of these figures, because in other universities of the interior of the republic to receive between four and eight bodies of unknown persons per year for the registration of more than one thousand students.

It is important to take into account the the origin of organizations that are not part of the organ donation program, since they arrive through an agreement with the Institute of Forensic Sciences and that, therefore, their clinical history is not known, but also highlights the fact that they have gone through an autopsy, Which affects the body's anatomy and complicates its study.

Death is respected

Imelda decided to donate her body due to the influence of her mother, who had decided to donate organ, and her experience as a student because her approach to corpses sensitized him and showed him the enormous utility of a body after life.

Although his mother thinks the donation of the body "it is a culture that must be promoted"Other members of his family did not like his decision because of religious ideas." They even told me that the body was sacred and that death was respected, "they even told him that In making this choice, he did not think of his loved ones.

However, the belief of leaving something to thegenerations of doctors Trainingas she does now, she was so firm that she even motivated her mother and aunt, her witnesses, to make the same decision as her.

According to Dr. Pineda, the initial expectation of the body donation program was that People aged 20 to 30 are the most likely, however, were the people between 50 and 60 years old who have enrolled in larger quantities.

In addition, these people, even if they are aware of the existence of Two forms of donation: permanent or for a chosen period, have opted for the option of staying as long as the university requires and for research or practice with any part of the body needed.

Before the determination of Imelda, whose body will be permanently at UNAM, her friends could only congratulate her because, she says, they were impressed. "Many have said that it was something very strong for them, that they would not have the guts to make such a decision at this age."

One of the most important aspects of the program is the annual monitoring of theto the health of donors. This process begins with the recording of clinical history, where the inheritance of family history, as well as other diseases, is established and continues. updated each year with respect to new conditions or other data as if you had started smoking or drinking.

Having recorded and followed the health of very young people, explains Dr. Pineda, is very useful for investigation. "The value of a body we have been following for 50 years is incalculable because of everything the information we would have, which can be used in research projects to understand the suffering of Mexicans. "

One might think that the processing of so much information would be problematic, but at UNAM they developed software take control of all this data. It is an electronic clinical file in which the information can be crossed. C & # 39; is to say, Through this program you can know, for example, how many men of a certain age and having some cause of death have arrived.

The software is the property of the Faculty, therefore personal data on the health of donors remain protected in the university's servers. The decision to create its own platform was taken as it aimed to guarantee the confidence of those enrolled in the program.

In addition to trust, respect is another of the core values ​​of the program, as it uses the principle of donor autonomy, through which they decide in life what to do with their bodies when they die. This contrasts with the unidentified bodies that arrive in the clbadroom, we do not know if this person really wanted his body to end up being examined by university students.

As a student, Imelda knows the treatment that the institution gives to lifeless bodies to study them: "Here the respect for the corpse. We were taught the first day of our race and it was a great experience. "

Respect is not just about taking care of the body that happens, but about the decisions of the donors. For example, if someone who has already signed the letter of donation regretted, it is legal to cancel the process; If you wanted to donate your body for three years, you are looking for minor research projects at that time or if your desire was that his body served the academy, the faculty must comply with this desire.

On the other hand, the parents, according to Dr. Pineda, could appeal the donor's determination and, in this case, both parties would start legal proceedings. "The problem is that we are talking about a body that has just died, we are going against the time. But as an educational institution, we are not looking for these problems, this is why our campaign is based on the knowledge of the program by relatives and the fact that their loved one is registered. "

Regardless of the disagreement in ideas, Imelda he is sure that when he dies, his family will respect his decision. The frankness and transparency with which she spoke to them about this subject helped her to be sure that her body would arrive at the Faculty premises without any inconvenience.

The only way for a body enrolled in the program not to reach the Faculty of Medicine is if, at some point in life, the person has suffered Hepatitis C, HIV or tuberculosisdiseases that would put those who are in contact with them at risk of contagion and can not Get these bodies that are part of a legal case.

Even if a person is also a donor of organs, his body is still part of the UNAM programbecause it has a link with the National Transplant Center. In such a case, says Dr. Pineda, "the cadaver will first go to the organ donation program, extract the necessary organs, and then switch to our program without any problem. "

Over the course of their existence, the program managers consider that the reception in the community has been good and that, to a large extent, to the trust of the people towards the UNAM; However, they are also aware that it is still necessary increase the number of people registered and reproduce it in other universities in the country.