On September 25, 2017, MOHAN Foundation was invited to conduct an awareness session on organ donation for the teachers of Savitri Bai Phule Balika Inter College, Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Ms. Mareena Thomas (Programme Officer) was the resource person and Ms. Jyoti Sharma (Transplant Coordinator) accompanied her.

The session was organized and coordinated by Mr. Pushpinder Singh (Deputy Manager-General Purchase, Honda Cars India Pvt Ltd) who had earlier attended the session on organ donation conducted by MOHAN Foundation in his company last month. He became motivated to take up the cause and promote it to create awareness amongst his circle of friends and family. Ms. Tarunpreet Kaur, his wife is an art teacher in the school.

Ms. Mareena began the session by asking a few ice breaker questions to the audience like who can donate and what can you donate while living and after death? Following which one of the participant shared the case of her uncle who had undergone kidney transplantation and the kidney was donated to him by his near relative. The participants were told that the main aim of the session was to give them information about organ donation after death and how increased donation rate will help bridge the gap between demand and supply for organs. She emphasized on the fact that organ donation can only take place when the patient is declared brain dead and one must understand the same if they wish to pledge to be an organ donor. She further clarified the difference between brain death and coma. She then shared India’s organ donation rate and how we need to achieve 3-4 per million population to fulfill our needs.

Mareena also emphasized on the importance of family’s consent for organ donation after death and stressed on the fact that one must discuss and convince their family if they wish to be an organ donor.

Close to 37 participants attended the session and 30 donor cards were picked up.