On January 16, 2025, the Division of Organ Transplant at AIIMS Rishikesh, in collaboration with MOHAN Foundation, organized an awareness session on organ donation for the staff of the Red Zone Area in the Medicine Emergency Department. This session marked the seventh in a series of initiatives aimed at sensitizing nursing officers at AIIMS Rishikesh to the vital importance of organ donation.
The session was led by Mr. Sanchit Arora, Project Leader at MOHAN Foundation stationed at AIIMS Rishikesh, with support from Mr. Deshraj Solanki and Mr. Vrishabh Panchal, Transplant Coordinators at the institute. Participants included nursing staff from the Departments of Medicine Emergency and Critical Care.
The session commenced with an introduction to MOHAN Foundation, highlighting its mission and objectives. Mr. Arora delivered a detailed presentation on organ donation, covering key topics such as:
• The significance of organ donation and donor eligibility.
• Differences between living and deceased donors.
• Organ donation processes during life and after death.
• Brain death versus coma.
• Procedures for declaring brain death.
• Eye and skin donation, including corneal preservation steps post-death.
• An overview of the Transplantation of Human Organs & Tissues Act, 1994.
• Living kidney transplantation facilities at AIIMS Rishikesh.
• Steps individuals can take to support organ donation.
• Myths and facts about organ donation.
• The roles of nursing officers in the organ donation process.
Mr. Arora underscored the urgent need for organ donation in India and encouraged participants to discuss the topic with their families, friends, and colleagues to promote greater awareness. He also recommended watching the film Aye Zindagi, available on Zee5, for deeper insights into the subject.
Mr. Deshraj Solanki elaborated on the hospital’s in-house brain death committee and donor optimization protocols. He shared a recent case of organ donation at AIIMS Rishikesh, providing practical examples to illustrate the process effectively.
The session was highly interactive, with participants raising queries, like:
• “Who is legally authorized to certify brain death?”
• “Does AIIMS Rishikesh have its own in-house brain death committee?”
Approximately 10 nursing officers attended the session and expressed their appreciation for the initiative. They acknowledged the value of the session in enhancing their understanding of organ donation, its significance, and their role in supporting this noble cause.
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