On December 13, 2023, Ms Pallavi Kumar, Executive Director, MOHAN Foundation, NCR, was invited to conduct a session on, “ Grief Counselling and Making the Ask for Organ Donation," in the workshop titled, “Deceased Organ Donor Transplantation,” organized by VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital at Old Lecture Hall, VMMC and Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. The workshop was organized in collaboration with National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO).

The workshop began with the lamp lighting ceremony and the felicitation of deceased donor kidney transplant recipients by Dr. Vandana Talwar, Medical Superintendent, Safdarjung Hospital, New Delhi. Medical professionals involved in the organ donation programme at Safdarjung Hospital and NOTTO were invited to attend the workshop.

Expert speakers covered various important topics related to organ donation such as Identification and declaration of brain stem death, maintenance of potential brain stem dead donor & role of ICU team, grief counselling, brain stem death audits and a practical session on BSD. A panel discussion also took place in the workshop

Ms. Pallavi addressed the following topics with the help of a PowerPoint presentation:

• Decoupling – timing of the request for organ donation

• Breaking the news of death

• Stages of grief

• Making the ask for organ donation – why and how it should be done

Ms. Pallavi explained in detail that a counsellor must be able to make connections, show cognitive flexibility, and read nonverbal cues. The requester’s communication style contributes to the family’s experience with an empathic, family-centred approach balancing bereavement care and assisting families to make informed decisions.

Close to 120 participants attended the session.