Under the aegis of National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Govt. of India, MOHAN Foundation in collaboration with Jeevandan, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh and Ramesh Hospitals, conducted a one week Transplant Coordinators’ Training Programme from 14^th to 18^th November 2016 at Ramesh Hospitals, Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. 35 candidates were present not only from Andhra Pradesh, but also Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala. They received their certificates with a unique registration number from NOTTO signed by Prof. Dr. Vimal Bhandari, Director, NOTTO, Dr. T. Ravi Raju, Chairman, Appropriate Authority for Cadaver Transplantation (AACT), Jeevandan, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh and Dr. Sunil Shroff, Managing Trustee, MOHAN Foundation.

Prof. Dr. Vimal Bhandari, Director, NOTTO, Dr. T. Ravi Raju, Chairman, Appropriate Authority for Cadaver Transplantation, Jeevandan, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh, Dr. G. Krishna Murthy, Chief Transplant Coordinator, AACT Jeevandan, Govt. of Andhra Pradesh and Dr. P. Ramesh Babu, Managing Director, Ramesh Hospitals were present at the inauguration. MOHAN Foundation was represented by Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram, Country Director, Dr. Sumana Navin, Course Director and Ms. Ann Alex, Programme Executive.

Day 1 – Dr. Krishna Murthy spoke about the work done by Jeevandan. Prof. Dr. Vimal Bhandari spoke on the objectives of National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation and its aim of having all the states work in unison through a national registry. Dr. Sumana Navin elucidated on the basic concepts of organ donation and transplantation and the legal framework.

Day 2 – Dr. S. Kumaravelu, spoke on the diagnosis and certification of brainstem death. A film on the topic was screened. Dr. Pradeep explained the requirements to maintain a potential deceased organ donor. A film by NHS Blood and Transplant, UK which portrayed both the good and poor ways to approach a family was screened. This was followed by Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram explaining the stages of grief and the right way to approach families. She also shared a few donor stories. Dr. Nalini Prasad Ippela spoke about ‘Liver failure and Liver Transplantation’. Dr. Sumana Navin gave a brief idea about Skin donation and skin grafting with the help of pictures to help the delegates visualize the need for skin donation and skin banks. A film ‘Phir Zindagi’ produced by ZTCC, Pune was screened, which moved the participants.  

Day 3 – The day began with Dr. Vani lucidly talking about kidney diseases and dialysis, followed by Dr. Ch. Nageswara Rao speaking about Kidney transplant and its need. A film by Dr. Subramania Iyer on Hand Transplantation and the first two hand transplants which were done at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences (AIMS), Kochi was shown. Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram walked the participants through the entire process of Setting up a Deceased Donation Programme in a hospital by using wedding planning as an example which made the session very entertaining. Another interesting session was ‘Corneal Donation and Transplant’ by Dr. G. Rajesh, he enlightened the group about the need for Corneal Transplantation and eye banks and the importance of carrying a donor card. The day ended with a ‘Role Play’ by the participants, portraying both the poor and good ways to approach a family.

Day 4 – Dr. Bhanu Chandra began the first session of the day by explaining in depth about the ‘Qualities and Role of a Transplant Coordinator.’ Ms. Ann Alex presented on the various methods in which Public Awareness could be done, to enable the public to comprehend the seriousness of the issue, the participants found the videos on Public Education attractive and educational. This was followed by sessions on ‘Whole Body Donation,’ ‘Bone donation’ and ‘History of Transplantation’ by Dr. Sumana Navin, ‘Pancreas and Small Intestine Transplant’ by Dr. Jayanth Reddy, and ‘Basics of Heart Failure and Transplant’ by Dr. P.N.S Haritha. The day ended with an enjoyable session on Street Play/Poster making by the participants.

Day 5 – The final day began with Dr. Bhanu Chandra stressing on how transplant coordinators should deal with stress and burnout. An overview of the deceased donation programme in India, state based organizations and NGOs working in the field was given by Ms. Ann Alex, followed by Dr. Bhanu Chandra speaking on ‘Living Related Organ Transplants’. A quiz was conducted to refresh the participants on what they had learnt over the past few days. The last topic for the training was ‘Ethical issues in organ donation and transplantation’ where Dr. Sumana Navin stressed on abiding by the principles of medical ethics in their work.

The chief guest for the valedictory function, Dr. Devanaboina Shouri Raju Naidu, Superintendent and Professor of Radiotherapy, Govt. General Hospital, Guntur congratulated and presented the certificates to the participants.