The NCC Officers Training Academy (OTA) is a premier Institute of National Cadet Corps established in 1957. It trains approximately 5000 personal from 17 NCC Directorate spread all over the country. The Academy had invited Dr. Ravi Wankhede Director of MOHAN Foundation, Nagpur Centre to give a talk on Deceased Organ Donation on 13th June 2016. This is the second of the series which the OTA thought of imparting the knowledge of organ donation to the trainees consisting of Principals, professors, lecturers and also junior Commissioned Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers posted as Instructors to NCC. At the beginning Brigadier S.B. Singh Deputy Commandant of the Academy introduced Dr. Wankhede to the audience a Veteran of the Armed Forces who had taken upon himself to contribute in spreading awareness of organ donation and transplantation.
Dr. Ravi Wankhede began by telling that he is very happy to talk to the NCC Officers who are volunteers of one of the greatest cohesive forces of the Nation, bringing together 13 lacks youth hailing from different parts of the country and molding them into united, secular and disciplined citizens of the nation. He foresaw added responsibility which perhaps was the greatest service of uniting mankind. He gave a PPP starting with informing the mission of MOHAN Foundation is to ensure that every Indian who is suffering from end stage organ failure be provided with the 'gift of life’ through a life-saving organ. He said the trainees would be able to carry home and help spread awareness in their place of work and described the event as ‘Training the trainers’.
He informed about the Transplant Act (THOA) and National Organ & Tissue Transplantation Organization (NOTTO). Stress was laid on explaining Brain death a condition from wherein several organs and tissues could be donated to help save as many lives. He said, this was a routine practice in the developed countries more specifically Spain, Croatia, Britain, US, etc. Unfortunately the number of donations from brain dead patients in India was dismal. This was due to unawareness, religious taboos, superstitions pertaining to organ donation, etc. States like Tamil Nadu, Andhra, Kerala were way ahead than others in carrying out transplantations of organs from the Brain dead.
He said other States have to learn from these States so as to benefit the huge number of people who require kidney, liver, eyes, etc. He informed the audience that about 2 lakh kidneys are required every year, but just about 5,000 people get a kidney transplant. Over 90% of these cases are ‘live’ donors and 10% are deceased (cadaver) organ donors. In the developed countries the situation is reverse. He said NCC should be able to start with spreading awareness of eye donation to begin with and gradually other organs as well.
After the talk, Major General N.S. Rao, the Commandant of OTA spoke on the importance of the subject and asked the trainees to carry home the knowledge to their respective places so as to increase the awareness of the subject all over the country. He said there is a huge requirement of organs amongst Indians with no other alternative but to get a transplant which could be possible if the relatives of the patient consent. He praised Dr. Wankhede for spreading the awareness of organs. He later presented Dr. Ravi Wankhede a memento and certificate of appreciation from the NCC-OTA.
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