On October 10, 2020, MOHAN Foundation was invited to conduct a session on organ donation for the nurses of Artemis Hospital, Gurugram. This session is organized by nursing education department every month as part of nurses’ induction programme. The session was organised after a gap of 8 months, the last being conducted on February 14, 2020 because of COVID-19 pandemic. Ms. Shafia Hameed (Transplant Coordinator, MF) was the resource person for the session.
Ms. Shafia began the session by introducing herself, the Foundation, and in particular its role in spreading awareness on organ donation across the country. Basic concepts of organ donation were explained by means of a simple PowerPoint presentation. The current statistics of organ donation in India was discussed and how increased donation rate will help bridge the gap between demand and supply for organs. Difference between brain death and cardiac death was explained. A short movie on brain death was shown to the participants to give clarity on the said subject and how it is different from coma. It was emphasized that solid organs and tissues can only be donated in case of brain death and only tissues after cardiac death. Myths pertaining to organ donation were also discussed.
The session was quite interactive as participants had various queries like; how organs are allocated, whether the organs reach the needy or not, donor family is paid for organs etc. Shafia took up the queries and told the participants that the process is streamlined and everything is done in accordance with the law. NOTTO (National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization) which is a national body does the organ allocation. Organs are a national resource and cannot be used for sale and selling or buying of organs is a punishable offence according to Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act 1994. The participants understood the whole process and were satisfied with the answers.
At the end of the session, Ms. Shafia asked participants if they wanted to pledge their organs. Few participants raised their hands in affirmation while the rest were honest enough to say that they needed to speak with their families before taking this decision.
Close to 13 nurses attended the session.
-ACT,-2011.gif){kind=spacer}
