MOHAN Foundation was invited as a faculty at the 11th CLBS Symposium, held from September 19 to 21, 2025, at Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket, New Delhi. The theme of the symposium was “Optimising the Preoperative Period.”
On September 20, 2025 (Day 2), Dr. Muneet Kaur Sahi, Program Manager, MOHAN Foundation NCR, was invited to speak on “Transplant Coordinator Burnout – Addressing Mental Health and Wellbeing.”
The Centre for Liver and Biliary Sciences (CLBS) at Max Super Speciality Hospital runs one of the largest liver transplant programs in the world, performing over 450 liver transplants annually and having conducted more than 5,000 liver transplant surgeries to date. The Centre also manages complex hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeries and is a leader in HPB Oncology.
In her presentation, Dr. Sahi highlighted the emotional, ethical, and administrative pressures faced by Transplant Coordinators (TCs). She explained how these challenges can lead to burnout, with serious effects on their mental health, wellbeing, and professional performance.
She also presented findings from a study conducted to understand the experiences and perceptions of TCs across India. The study included 96 participants from government, private, and NGO institutions, with the objective of assessing burnout and identifying strategies to strengthen mental resilience.
Seven key themes emerged from the study:
1. Emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion due to long working hours.
2. Heavy workload and multiple roles, including non-core duties.
3. Psychological strain of high-stakes decisions, grief management, and emotional withdrawal.
4. Lack of recognition and institutional support (respect, salary hikes, legal protection, symbolic acknowledgment).
5. Impact on personal and family life due to missed family time and constant intrusion of work.
6. Resilience and sense of purpose at work.
7. Pathways to change, including recognition, adequate staffing, mental health support, and legal protection.
The study concluded that burnout among TCs is widespread, with serious consequences on both personal and professional lives. While individual coping strategies are important, systemic interventions are equally critical. Recommendations included salary revisions, institutional support, access to mental health services, and government recognition. Participants also emphasized the need to publish and present the findings to policymakers for wider consideration.
Other eminent speakers in the workshop addressed the following topics:
• Initiating a deceased donation framework
• Organ allocation
• Improving organ donation in India: barriers and strategies
• Managing complex scenarios in living donation
• Managing complex scenarios in organ donation
• Guide for donation after cardiac death
• Documentation in living donor liver transplantation
The workshop was attended by around 30 delegates.
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