On August 22, 2024, the MOHAN Foundation (MF) was invited to conduct a session on organ donation as part of a five-day "Induction Course Training Program" for Traffic Police personnel at the Traffic Police Headquarters in Todapur, New Delhi. The session was led by Ms. Simran Anand, accompanied by Ms. Sanya Santosh, Programme Officer at MF, Delhi NCR.
The invitation was initiated by Inspector Rakesh Kumar, Course Coordinator at the Traffic Police Headquarters in Todapur. The session was attended by both Upper and Lower Subordinates.
Ms. Anand began the session with a brief introduction to the MOHAN Foundation, followed by an assessment of the attendees' existing knowledge about organ donation. She then used a PowerPoint presentation to explain the current state of organ donation in India and the fundamental concepts of organ donation and transplantation. The session covered the following topics in detail:
• The meaning of organ donation and its societal importance
• The distinction between living and deceased donors
• Opportunities for organ donation during and after life
• An explanation of brain death, its causes, and how it differs from a coma
• Eye donation and the procedures required to preserve corneas after death
• An overview of the Human Organ Transplantation Act of 1994, including the mandatory required request clause
• Contraindications that may prevent organ donation
• The role of the MOHAN Foundation
• Dispelling myths and sharing facts about organ donation
Ms. Anand emphasized that the majority of commercial transactions occur in the context of living transplants.
During the session, a participant suggested waiving the donor's medical bills or providing jobs and other facilities to the donor's family as potential measures to increase the rate of deceased organ donation in India. Another participant proudly displayed his driving license, where he had opted to be an organ donor.
The session was interactive, with participants actively contributing to the discussion and asking several questions, including:
• Does each organ have a specific window period for transplantation?
• What is the success rate of pancreas transplants in India?
The session was attended by close to 60 participants.
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