On May 28, 2025, MOHAN Foundation, in collaboration with the Rishikesh Eye Bank at AIIMS Rishikesh, organized an organ donation awareness session at Olivia International School, Haridwar. The event was conducted at the invitation of Mr. Kurian, Director of the school.
The speakers for the session were Mr. Mahipal Chuohan, Manager at Rishikesh Eye Bank, AIIMS Rishikesh, and Mr. Sanchit Arora, Project Leader at MOHAN Foundation, based at AIIMS Rishikesh. The session saw the enthusiastic participation of school staff and students.
Mr. Chuohan opened the session by sharing the significant accomplishments of the Rishikesh Eye Bank. He explained the processes involved in eye and skin donations and highlighted how donations can be facilitated at home following a death. He underscored the pressing need for eye donations, noting that while 500,000 blind individuals require corneal transplants annually in India, only 150,000 donations take place.
Mr. Arora spoke about the inclusivity of organ donation, emphasizing that donors can belong to any race, religion, or age group. He shared inspiring examples, including India’s oldest organ donor, Sh. Tej Ram, aged 88; a 70-hour-old infant donor; and a 60-hour-old neonate whole-body donor. Mr. Arora provided a comprehensive overview of organ donation in India, covering the following topics:
• The meaning and importance of organ donation
• Who can be an organ donor
• Live and deceased donors
• Organ donation during life and after death
• Brain death vs. coma
• Skin donation
• The Transplantation of Human Organs Act, 1994
• Whole-body donation
• Living kidney transplantation facilities at AIIMS Rishikesh
• Myths and facts about organ donation
• How individuals can contribute to the cause
• The goals and objectives of MOHAN Foundation and the Anudaan initiative
One participant shared that her family had donated her father-in-law’s whole body for medical research after his death.
The session was highly interactive, with participants actively engaging and asking insightful questions, such as:
• How much time is given to families to make a decision about organ donation in cases of brain death?
• Can we donate only the eyes after death?
• What other initiatives has the government undertaken to promote organ donation?
Mr. Arora concluded by urging participants to discuss organ donation with their families, friends, and colleagues. He also recommended the film Aye Zindagi on Zee5 for further insights into the topic.
This awareness session left a lasting impact, educating around 70 participants on the significance of organ and tissue donation, and inspiring 12 participants to register for corneal donation.
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