On December 30, 2022, MOHAN Foundation was invited to conduct an awareness session on organ donation at the One Day Awareness Cum Voluntary Blood Donation Camp jointly organised by Regular Voluntary Blood Donor’s Group (Manipur), E-Pao Tengbang Lup (Imphal) & Humanity for Society (Manipur) in collaboration with Blood Centre JNIMS, Porompat at Puthiba Community Hall, Khurai, Imphal.
The MF team was coordinated by Mr. Naoroibam Netrajit Singh, Founder, Regular Voluntary Blood Donor’s Group (Manipur) and Mr. Pangambam Jayananda Singh, Secretary, Humanity for Society (Manipur). The session was attended by the volunteers of the camp, press personnel and blood bank team from JNIMS.
The session was opened by Mr. Netrajit, which was followed by the introduction of the MOHAN Foundation, its aims, and objectives by Ms. Laishram Monica Devi, Program Office, MOHAN Foundation, Imphal.
Ms. Monica shared a brief overview of how organ donation saves lives and how anyone can become an organ donor. The volunteers were informed about the scenario of organ donation and the challenges the north-eastern region faces in terms of infrastructure, medical facilities, and a lack of specialised services. She then focused on brain death vs. coma, transplant law, when and how organ donation occurs, corneal donation, and the roles of individuals and the general public in raising awareness about it.
She also shared with them the progress of the living donor transplant programme at the government-run hospital, Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, and made them aware of the fact that things are looking up in the state of Manipur, and it's not just a theory that’s being discussed. They were also sensitised to the ever-growing need for organ transplants due to the rise of end-stage organ diseases. Later, Ms. Thoidingjam Udayini Khuman, Transplant Coordinator, MOHAN Foundation, Imphal, explained the process of pledging through the MOHAN Foundation website and the importance of discussion regarding the wishes with the family members.
Some of the queries raised by the participants:
• Body donation and its difference from organ donation
• Who should be contacted in the event of an accidental death and if the person has pledged to donate organs?
• If a family consents to organ donation in a hospital, how will the organs be allocated?
At the end of the session, Ms. Udayini distributed FAQs on organ donation to the participants and encouraged them to contact her if any further queries arose. The organising team expressed heartfelt thanks for providing the informative session. The MOHAN Foundation team was also invited to conduct more programmes on organ donation in association with the organisers.
Close to 60 participants attended the session and the blood donation camp.