On February 19, 2025, the MOHAN Foundation conducted an organ donation awareness session at the Traffic Police Headquarters, Todapur, New Delhi. The session was facilitated by Ms. Simran Anand, Programme Officer, MOHAN Foundation NCR, with support from Ms. Sanya Santosh, also a Programme Officer at MOHAN Foundation NCR.

Ms. Simran Anand began by engaging participants, inviting them to share their thoughts on organ donation. She then provided a comprehensive overview of organ donation in India, covering key topics such as:

• The importance of organ donation

• Who can be a donor

• Organ donation during life and after death

• The difference between brain death and coma

• The process of eye and skin donation, including corneal preservation after death

• Legal aspects of the Transplantation of Human Organs & Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994

• Common myths and facts about organ donation

During the session, one participant shared that he had been on the waiting list for a deceased organ donation for two years due to liver cirrhosis.

Another participant expressed concerns that families often refuse organ donation out of fear that the deceased’s body will be mutilated. Ms. Anand clarified that organ retrieval is a surgical procedure performed with dignity and care, and the body is returned to the family respectfully.

She also explained the opt-in and opt-out systems of organ donation, emphasizing that India follows an opt-in system, meaning that individuals are not organ donors by default and must register their consent. She highlighted that organ trafficking, particularly the illegal trade of kidneys, primarily occurs through unauthorized living donor transplants. She emphasized the crucial role of the Transplantation of Human Organs & Tissues Act (THOTA), 1994, in regulating organ donation and preventing the commercial exploitation of vulnerable individuals.

A participant suggested that introducing legislation to provide donor families with benefits such as employment, health insurance, and educational opportunities could help increase organ donation rates in India.

The session was highly interactive, with participants raising several questions, including:

• Do organ donor families receive priority if a family member needs an organ?

• What happens if a donor is willing to donate, but the family refuses?

A total of 60 individuals attended the session, actively engaging in discussions and gaining a deeper understanding of organ donation.