On June 14, 2016, MOHAN Foundation was invited to UNO Minda in Village Nahapur Kasan, P.O. Nakhrola, Gurgaon, to conduct an awareness session on organ donation.

UNO MINDA steers ahead as a leading Tier 1 supplier of Proprietary Automotive Solutions to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). It has made significant contributions to the automotive industry supply chain with innovative products, designed and engineered for efficiency with an emphasis on enhanced comfort levels and fine tuned response.

Geetha Sethi, Assistant Manager, Human Resource Department took the initiative to organise the sessions. She contacted MOHAN foundation and requested for a session as part of their CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) activity.  A blood donation camp on the occasion of World Blood Donor Day was also organised on June 14, 2016.

Two sessions were conducted for the employees and senior staff. Ms. Mareena Thomas took the first session and Ms Chaitanya Jonker took the second session.

The sessions started with Mr Lokender, Head Human Resources, delineating the concept of organ donation. He further elaborated on this by taking the example of their company where the automobile parts manufactured in the company were used to replace the damaged ones. Whereas in human beings, if an organ becomes damaged, it is very difficult to get an organ, unlike automobile parts and life is at stake.

The MOHAN Foundation representatives presented the demand and supply gap of organs in our country, which justifies the question that why there was a need to donate organs. The employees were told, who all can become organ donors and how and what all organs they can donate. They were shown a five-minute video that explained what brain death was and how it is different from coma.  One of the employees asked how it could be assured that the person was brain dead. To this, Ms Chaitanya explained how the neurological reflexes are checked at first and on their absence apnoea test is conducted, which shows whether the patient has his own breathing efforts or not. She also added that brain death is established by a set of four doctors that are appointed by the state authority as part of brain death committee of the hospital.

The talk also focused on the low organ donation rate of our country (0.50 pmp) which is even less than 1 person per million population. The representatives explained that due to lack of awareness and opt-in system followed by India, we have such low organ donation rate. To change this scenario towards a positive path, people can begin with the small initiative of eye donation. Myths related to organ donation were also clarified.

A lot of people expressed their doubts on the health system of our country as the hospitals were charging exorbitant amount for transplants and were concerned about commercialization of organs, citing the example of the recent kidney organ trade in Apollo Hospital, Delhi. Ms. Mareena explained that to curb such rackets, right awareness is the most important step and promotion of deceased organ donation would be of great significance too.

Many other questions like why can’t some financial assistance be given to donor families, how one can register for deceased donor waiting list, government’s role in the promotion of organ donation, etc. were handled by the MOHAN Foundation representatives in a professional manner.

A total of 48 people attended the sessions and 53 donor cards were picked up.