On January 19, 2024, Mr. Gabriel Pereira, Organ Donation Ambassador from the MOHAN Foundation, spoke to the staff of Max Life Insurance Co. Ltd., Panjim Goa, about organ donation.

 

Gabriel began the presentation by introducing himself and MOHAN Foundation. He shared with the audience his reasons for joining the Foundation and promoting the cause. He also explained to the audience that MOHAN is not a name but an acronym that stands for Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network. The organisation is based in Chennai, and he operated from Mapusa in North Goa.

 

Gabriel described the importance of organ donation, the various organs that can be donated, the organs that can be donated by both living and brain-dead individuals, and the definition of brain stem death. All of these topics were presented via PowerPoint to the staff.

 

He also described the various organ donation pledge options. He displayed the QR code and Form 2 of the driving licence, where once the box is ticked, the driving licence will indicate that the holder has pledged to be an organ donor. He also emphasised that it is most important to inform one's family or next-of-kin about their desire to donate organs, as in India, an opt-in policy is followed where the family or next-of-kin’s consent is required to proceed with the donation.

 

A total of twenty individuals attended the session, and six pledged to donate their organs.