On October 26, 2019, MOHAN Foundation conducted an awareness session on organ donation at Bharat Electronics Limited, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh. Ms. Ekta Agarwal Assistant Manager WEL took the initiative to organize the session. Dr. Muneet Kaur Sahi was the resource person from MOHAN Foundation and Ms. Shriya Negi accompanied her.
Bharat Electronics Limited (BEL) is an Indian state-owned aerospace and defense company with about nine factories, and several regional offices in India. It is owned by the Indian Government and primarily manufactures advanced electronic products for the Indian Armed Forces. BEL is one of nine PSUs under the Ministry of Defense of India. It has been granted Navratna status by the Government of India.
Dr. Muneet introduced herself to the participants. She spoke about her association with MOHAN Foundation and its role in creating awareness in the field of organ donation since 1975. She began her talk by asking the participants if they wanted to share any personal experience regarding organ donation. One of the participants shared that her brother in law’s body was donated after death by the family and she became aware of organ and body donation only after this experience. Another sharing by a female participant of a cornea donation in her extended family was also very effective. The sharing by the two participants set the tone for the talk.
Dr. Muneet explained the basic concepts of organ donation with the help of a PowerPoint presentation. The condition of brain stem death was explained with the help of a video and the common causes of brain death were highlighted. Video also gave clarity as to the difference between coma and brain death. One of the participants asked if it is possible to go for organ donation after circulatory death. She explained to the audience that solid organs can be donated only in case of brain death whereas in case of circulatory death only tissues can be donated.
During her talk, she stressed on the need of more organ donors in India and also shared the current statistics that showed that organ donation in India was as low as 0.80 pmp. This is very low as compared to countries like Spain and Croatia. Myths related to organ donation were also discussed and how lack of awareness, religious beliefs and superstitions were some of the important reasons contributing to India’s low organ donation rate. A motivational video promoting organ donation was also shown.
The session concluded with a vote of thanks given by Ms. Anita Milind, AGM, BEL. She appreciated the talk and the important work done by the Foundation in the field of organ donation. She expressed her views on how important it is to educate the family members on organ donation and share our decision regarding pledging of organs with our loved ones.
In the end, Dr. Muneet was felicitated with a memento by a senior BEL officer. The session was well received by the participants and they found it quite informative. Close to 42 people attended the session and 24 donor cards were picked up.
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