On May 11, 2023, Police Training Centre at Marol invited MOHAN Foundation to speak on Importance of Organ donation and the role of police in organ donation process in Medico Legal cases.

Ms. Jaya Jairam addressed the session of 250+ in-service police officers that comprised of male & female personnel. She began by saying that in India, as road traffic accidents account for most brain deaths, and such cases get classified as medico legal cases, involving inquest and post-mortem, the police become one of the key stakeholders in the process of deceased organ donation.

She then touched upon various concepts of organ donation including who can donate, what are the types of donors, why should one support organ donation and presented it multilingually in Marathi and Hindi.

She went on to share about the law and the process involved in Organ donation in Medico Legal cases. She reiterated the importance of police personnel being aware about organ donation so that there are no undue delays in the inquest and post-mortem thus leading to difficulties in the process of organ donation which in turn cause distress to the grieving family members who have said yes to organ donation despite their utmost grief.

 The topics covered during the session were:

• What is organ donation & its importance
• Facts & statistics of India as compared to the rest of the world
• Types of donors & who can donate
• Difference between cardiac arrest & brain death
• Organ and tissue donation while living and after death
• Definition of death in Indian laws
• Step-by-step Organ donation process and the important role of police in it

 The participants enthusiastically brought to the session their own insights and experiences too. The audience was a highly interactive group, eager to learn more about organ donation. Post session too, they gathered around Ms. Jaya, to resolve a number of queries that they had with relation to the topic.

A few of the queries asked were as follows –

1. If a family donates organs of their loved one, will they be given organ on priority, if a need for organ should arise in their own family, in future?
2. How do we know for sure that the organs are distributed in a fair manner and not just given to those who can afford?

The organizers at the academy also assured the Foundation of the continuous support of the police in cases of organ donation in the future and stressed the importance of organ donation to save multiple lives.

MOHAN Foundation, Mumbai, is thankful to the Police Academy officials for the ongoing efforts to raise awareness.