On June 27, 2026, MOHAN Foundation, Uttarakhand, organized two roundtable discussions with key stakeholders involved in organ donation and transplantation. The first meeting was held at Doon Medical College and Hospital, Dehradun, in collaboration with SOTTO Uttarakhand, followed by a second meeting at Himalayan Hospital, Dehradun. The discussions focused on strengthening inter-institutional collaboration, enhancing organ donation and transplantation services in Uttarakhand, and exploring strategies to increase deceased organ donation. 

Roundtable Discussion at Doon Medical College and Hospital, Dehradun

The meeting was attended by Dr. R. S. Bisht, Joint Director, SOTTO Uttarakhand and Medical Superintendent, Doon Medical College and Hospital; Dr. Atul Kumar Singh, Nodal Officer, SOTTO Uttarakhand; Dr. N. S. Bisht, Associate Professor and Deputy Medical Superintendent, Department of Emergency Medicine; Ms. Pallavi Kumar, Executive Director, MOHAN Foundation; Dr. Manoj Biswas, Professor and Head, Department of Urology; Dr. D. P. Tiwari, Head and Associate Professor, Department of Urology; Dr. Aman Gupta, Associate Professor, Department of Urology; Dr. Amit Kumar, Assistant Professor, Department of Neurosurgery; Dr. Abhinav Singh Pokharial, Associate Professor, Department of Anaesthesia; Dr. Abhimanyu Pokhriyal, Associate Professor, Department of Anaesthesia; Mr. Sanchit Arora, Project Leader, MOHAN Foundation; and Mr. Arun Sharma, Program Executive, MOHAN Foundation.

Ms. Pallavi Kumar facilitated the discussion by sharing her experience in the field of organ transplantation and highlighting the importance of establishing a structured deceased organ donation programme. She emphasized that the constitution of a Brain Stem Death Certification Committee is the first and most essential step towards initiating a deceased organ donation programme, followed by capacity building of healthcare professionals and the development of institutional protocols.

The discussion was highly interactive, with participants raising several pertinent queries regarding the current organ donation and transplantation scenario in Uttarakhand, the distribution of organ retrievals and transplants between government and private hospitals, the referral mechanism for brain stem death cases, the relatively low number of brain stem death declarations despite the availability of potential donor cases, the feasibility of initiating a living donor transplantation programme before establishing a deceased organ donation programme, the recommended composition of the Brain Stem Death Certification Committee, and the recognition and support extended to donor families following organ donation. 

Dr. Atul Kumar Singh informed the participants that SOTTO Uttarakhand has been functional for some time and that all organ donation and transplantation data from the state are regularly communicated to NOTTO. Dr. Manoj Biswas further shared that Doon Medical College and Hospital is planning to establish a Kidney Transplant Unit (KTU) within the next two to three months, which will significantly strengthen transplantation services and pave the way for expanding organ donation activities at the institution.

The meeting concluded with a consensus on enhancing collaboration between SOTTO Uttarakhand, Doon Medical College and Hospital, and MOHAN Foundation to strengthen brain stem death identification, donor management, transplant coordination, and awareness activities, thereby laying the foundation for an effective deceased organ donation programme at the institution.

Roundtable Discussion at Himalayan Hospital, Dehradun

The meeting was chaired by Brig. Dr. Hem Chandra, Director, Hospital Services; facilitated by Ms. Pallavi Kumar, and attended by Dr. Rajesh Maheshwari, Medical Superintendent; Dr. (Brig.) R. S. Saini, Deputy Medical Superintendent; Dr. Deepak Goel, Head, Department of Neuromedicine; Dr. Gurjeet Khurana, Head, Department of Anaesthesia; Dr. Sonika Agarwal, Head, Department of Critical Care Medicine (CCM); Dr. Shahbaj Ahmad, Consultant, Department of Nephrology; Dr. Shikhar Agarwal, Consultant, Department of Urology; Dr. Sanjeev Pandey, Consultant, Department of Neurosurgery; Dr. Mukta Singh, Consultant, Department of Emergency Medicine; Dr. Manmohan Singh, Consultant, Department of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery (CTVS); Ms. Jaibunisha, Deputy Nursing Superintendent, Nursing Department; Mr. Jagdeep Sharma, Transplant Coordinator; Mr. Sanchit Arora; and Mr. Arun Sharma.

The discussion focused on several operational and medico-legal aspects of deceased organ donation. Participants raised queries regarding the management of ventilator support when a patient is declared brain stem dead but the family declines organ donation, the financial implications of the Ayushman Bharat Scheme after brain stem death declaration, responsibility for patient care costs once the scheme coverage ceases, and the medico-legal process to be followed when consent for organ donation is obtained in cases requiring a post-mortem examination. Ms. Pallavi addressed these concerns and shared recommendations based on established organ donation protocols.

Dr. Shikhar Agarwal emphasized the need for improved maintenance protocols and proposed NGO involvement. Brig. Dr. Hem Chandra affirmed that the institute was progressing well towards successful organ donation and transplantation.

The meeting concluded on a positive note, with a strong sense of commitment towards enhancing deceased organ donation at Himalayan Hospital, Dehradun.