On August 14, 2024, Ms. Pallavi Kumar, Executive Director of MOHAN Foundation, NCR, was invited as a panelist for a special webinar organized by the Society of Neuro Critical Care to commemorate World Organ Donation Day. The theme of the panel discussion was “Leave No Doubt.” The other panelists included Dr. Kapil Zirpe, Head of the Neuro Trauma Intensive Care Unit at Grant Medical Foundation, Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune; Dr. Srinivas Samavedam, Chief Intensivist at Ramdev Rao Hospital, Hyderabad; Dr. Rahul Pandit, Chair of Critical Care at Sir HN Reliance Foundation Healthcare Initiatives; and Dr. Pratheema Ramachandran, Senior Consultant in Critical Care Services at Apollo Specialty Hospitals, OMR, Chennai. The webinar was moderated by Dr. Urvi Shukla, Head of the Department of Intensive Care at Symbiosis University Hospital and Research Centre, Pune.
The webinar aimed to explore innovative and effective strategies to boost organ donation and transplantation rates. It addressed the challenges and issues surrounding organ donation, debunked common myths, and provided insights into donor management. Additionally, the discussion highlighted the critical shortage of organs in India and examined various approaches to raise public awareness and sensitize communities about the importance of organ donation.
A range of vital topics was covered, including the severe shortage of organs in India and the lengthy waiting lists that tragically result in lost lives. The need for greater public awareness and sensitization was emphasized throughout the session. The discussion also touched on the history of organ transplantation, noting that the first kidney transplant occurred in the United States in 1954, while India's first took place in 1967. The timeline continued with India's first heart transplant in 1994, liver and lung transplants in 1998, and the first pancreas transplant in 1999. Despite these advancements, the panelists highlighted the significant challenge India faces, with a low organ donation rate of just 0.6 per million people.
Ms. Pallavi Kumar was asked to share her insights on several topics, including:
• The necessity of compulsory post-mortem in medico-legal cases.
• The impact of the Transplantation of Human Organs Act (THOA) on resolving issues related to organ needs.
• Whether possessing a donor card is sufficient to become a donor.
At the end of the discussion, all the panelists provided their concluding remarks.
The session was conducted on the CLIRNET platform.
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