On June 25, 2018, MOHAN Foundation conducted an awareness talk on organ donation for NCC cadets organised by 12th Haryana Bn, NCC at Rishikul Vidyapeeth, Sonepat, Haryana. Col. Sandeep Chaudhary Commanding Officer 12 Haryana Bn organised the session and Dr. (Ms.) Pallavi Rekhi (Programme Officer, MF Delhi-NCR) coordinated it. Dr. Muneet Kaur Sahi (Programme Manager, MF Delhi-NCR) was the resource person. 

NCC is an Indian military cadet corps with its headquarters at New Delhi. It is open to school and college students on voluntary basis. National Cadet Corps is a Tri-Services Organisation comprising the Army, Navy and Air Force, engaged in grooming the youth of the country into disciplined and patriotic citizens. NCC is a voluntary organisation which recruits cadets from high schools, college and universities all over India. The cadets are given basic military training in small arms and parades. Apart from military training the cadets also take part in social activities that are structured to inspire and encourage them to participate voluntarily towards improvement of their physical and social environment and channelize their energies in the task of nation building. One such activity that has been included in their curriculum from this year has been to sensitise the cadets towards eye and organ donation.

Dr. Muneet began the session by asking the participants a few introductory questions on organ donation to have an understanding of their knowledge quotient regarding the subject. Then she went on to explain the huge gap between demand and supply of organ donation and transplantation. She cleared their confusion regarding the organs & tissues that can be donated after circulatory death and brain death respectively. She tried to motivate the cadets to go back home and discuss about organ donation with their families.

The cadets were intrigued and had a wide range of queries like:

·     What if one wants to know the identity of the recipient?

·     Can a person who has paralysis donate organs?

·     Can a person who has donated liver once, donate again after few months?

·     Organ transplantation is an expensive process, does this mean that the poor cannot afford it?

·     Can a person who had Hepatitis and is now cured, donate?

-     If I take the decision to donate organs for a good cause, should my organ not go to a needy or poor person?

Post session, cadets showed keenness to sign up for organ donation but only after discussing with their family and getting their consent as quite a few of them were less than 18 years of age. 

At the end, Col Sandeep Chaudhary thanked the MF representatives for conducting a very informative session and made a special mention that the counsellor could hold the attention of the cadets for so long judging by their involvement and response.

Close to 500 cadets attended the session and approximately 40 forms (Form-7) were picked up.