On November 30, 2024, MOHAN Foundation conducted an organ donation awareness session at Guru Nanak College, Dehradun, in collaboration with the Lions Club Rishikesh Devbhoomi. The session was organized at the invitation of Mr. Sunil Malik, Vice President of Career Buddy Club.

Mr. Sanchit Arora, Project Leader at MOHAN Foundation, stationed at AIIMS Rishikesh, served as the speaker for the session, which was attended by paramedical students of Guru Nanak College.

The session began with Mr. Arora encouraging participants to share their understanding of organ donation. He then provided a comprehensive overview of the current status of organ donation in India, covering key topics such as:

• The concept and importance of organ donation

• Eligibility criteria for organ donors

• Differences between live and deceased donors

• Organ donation during life and after death

• Brain death and how it differs from a coma

• Eye and skin donation, including preservation steps for corneas after death

• The Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994

• Whole-body donation

• Living kidney transplantation facilities at AIIMS Rishikesh

• Myths versus facts about organ donation

• Ways individuals can support the cause

• Goals of MOHAN Foundation and the Anudaan initiative

Mr. Arora emphasized the critical need for organ donation and urged participants to discuss this noble cause with their families, friends, and colleagues.

The session was highly interactive, with participants actively engaging and asking insightful questions, such as:

• “Can individuals who wear spectacles donate their corneas after death?”

• “If a patient is critically ill but far down the waiting list, are they given priority?”

• “Why do families hesitate to donate organs?”

Mr. Malik highlighted that organ donation is the greatest gift one can give, encouraging participants to pledge to donate blood while alive and organs after death.

The session concluded with participants applauding the efforts of MOHAN Foundation and the Lions Club Rishikesh Devbhoomi. Many expressed their intention to discuss organ donation with their families and consider pledging. The event was attended by nearly 60 participants.