MOHAN Foundation was invited to conduct an awareness session on organ donation at U.P. Jal Nigam,Ganga Jal Water Works on April 01, 2017. Mr. R. N. Arora, Director, Social Welfare, Yashoda Hospital took the initiative to organize the awareness session for the retired officers of Ganga Jal Water Works.Ms. Mareena Thomas, Programme Officer, MOHAN Foundation was the resource person for the talk.She was accompanied by Ms. Jyoti Sharma, Transplant Coordinator MF

Mr. Arora introduced MOHAN Foundation to the participants and shared a story of his colleague’s renal failure and his need of kidney transplant. He also spoke about the donation rate of India per million population and requested everyone present to think about this noble cause and decide to sign up for organ donation.

Ms. Thomas began the session by interacting with the participants by asking them as to how many of them had heard about organ donation. Many were aware about the cause through social and print media. She spoke about which organs and tissues can be donated. The basic difference between cardiac death and brain death was explained.  The fact that organ donation is possible only in the case of brain death was stressed upon. Participants asked technical questions regarding brain-stem death certification, who can be an organ donor, is organ donor card a legal document, which organs and tissues can be donated etc

Short movie on brain death was shown to the participants to make them understand the concept of brain stem death.

Ms Jyoti spoke about the myths and facts regarding organ donation in India.She clarified that recovery from brain death is not possible and brain death is an irreversible condition, religions do not forbid organ donation and transplantation, organ donation does not mutilate the body and there is no reality in the myth that one is born without the organs in next birth if donated in this life because physical body does not survive death, so the organs hold no relevance even if one believes in rebirth and anyway the organs are destroyed when the body is cremated.

There were around 35 participants and 40 donor cards were picked up.