On June 12, 2020, MOHAN Foundation organized the first of its series of panel discussions called ‘Synchrony Dialogues.’ These discussions are open to the general public and anyone who is interested in the topic. The first such discussion titled, “Coming together for Organ Donation” was in association with SBI Foundation.

 

The panel discussion was moderated by Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram, Country Director of MOHAN Foundation. The panelists were - Mr. Nixon Joseph (President and COO-SBI Foundation), Dr. Ravi Mohanka (Chief Surgeon & HOD- Liver Transplant & HB Surgery at Global Hospital, Mumbai), Dr. Sholay Meitei Kangjam (Urologist- Jawahar Lal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, Manipur) and Ms. Shreya Siddanagowder- Asia’s first upper arm double hand transplant recipient.

 

Dr. Mohanka started the discussion by explaining Liver Transplant and its types - Deceased donor Transplant, Living donor transplant and Split liver transplant. He informed that the success rate of Liver Transplant in India has increased by 90% in the last 25 years. He also answered some of the questions asked by the audience such as ‘Who are the right candidates for Liver Transplant? ‘Which hospitals in India are doing Lung Transplants? ‘Why is Lung Transplant not popular in India? ‘What are the lifestyle diseases?', He also gave a heart-touching and motivating message for the audience. “We all are a part of the society and the best we can do for our society is to give ourselves back to the society. Donate organs to give many others a second chance to live.”

 

Mr. Nixon highlighted SBI Foundation’s association with MOHAN Foundation since 2018. He informed that India with a huge population of 1.3 billion people, is lagging behind in the field of organ donation and has amongst the lowest organ donation rates in the world. He said since SBI Foundation’s core objective is to mitigate the sufferings of people in India, they chose the lifesaving cause of organ donation as it is incredible to see how one donor can save eight other lives by donating his organs. With the valuable support from SBI Foundation, more than 50 per cent of organ donations had been facilitated by MOHAN Foundation over 2 years’ time. Being an active Marathoner, Mr Nixon also inspired the audience by sharing his fitness routines especially during the COVID 19 lockdown. He added that he had even run a marathon (42 km) within the confines of his apartment! He said it was important to be fit and people should stay positive and creative during these difficult times.

 

Dr. Sholay Meitei talked about the present scenario of organ donation in North-East part of India. He informed that organ donation programs are at a very primordial stage in India and are almost negligible in its North-Eastern region. Poor health systems and lack of health infrastructure caused a lot of problem for organ recipients. He expressed his gratitude towards MOHAN Foundation for its initiative to start its activities to spread awareness on organ donation in Manipur. He said it was high time for the policy makers and other stakeholders in North-East zone to understand the magnitude of the benefits from these programs. He also informed that Jawahar Lal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal is planning to establish organ transplant centers.

 

Ms. Shreya Siddanagowder shared her journey to become Asia’s first upper arm double hand transplant recipient. She highlighted the importance of family, doctors and physiotherapists during the recovery process. She is now determined to finish her education and to live life to the fullest. She also actively spreads awareness on organ donation and hand transplantation.

 

‘Synchrony Dialogues - panel discussion on organ donation’ was live on YouTube. Close to 300 people watched and benefited from the discussion.

 

Click here to watch the video.