On October 13, 2020, MOHAN Foundation organized a Synchrony Dialogues webinar titled, “Myths on Organ Donation” as part of following up and addressing inquiries about organ donation and transplantation after the Founder and Managing Trustee of MOHAN Foundation, Dr. Sunil Shroff, as Karamveer in KBC episode featured on Sony Entertainment television. This webinar was specially conducted to clarify the common myths and misconceptions around organ donation in people’s minds and to spread the reality of organ donation.

 

The session started with playing a compiled video clip involving the launch of MOHAN Foundation, its vision & mission, deceased donor’s mother’s testimony, kidney transplant recipient’s testimony, and the Foundation's progress in saving lives through organ donation in the last 10 years.

 

Dr. Muneet Kaur Sahi, Programme Manager, MOHAN Foundation (Delhi-NCR), welcomed the audience and gave a brief introduction about the session proceedings. Mr. Sudhir Dewan, Director, MOHAN Foundation, Chandigarh, began the discussion and shared his perspectives on the religious myths and facts on organ donation and transplantation. Dr. Muneet and Mr. Dewan took turns in explaining the myths and facts on organ donation one by one.

 

The following myths with their corresponding reality check were discussed:

 

• Religion forbids organ donation and transplantation
• Organ donation mutilates the body
• If the family agrees to donation, doctors will not try hard to save the patient
• Donor’s family will have to pay more money to the hospital
• What if I recover from brain death?
• Is brain death the same as being in a coma or persistent vegetative state?
• If I donate organs, I will be born without them in the next birth
• There are certain factors that can keep me from being an organ donor such as age, illness, or physical defects
• If you are rich or a celebrity, you can move up the waiting list more quickly
• If I donate my organs it will cause delays to my funeral arrangements
• It is enough that I have a donor card
• Once I become an organ donor, I can never change my mind

 

The session also involved a Q&A time for the audience to clarify their doubts, to name a few:

• My wife and I wish to donate our bodies after our death. Could you guide us about it?
• My donor card has become old, can I get a new one?

At the end of the webinar, Mr. Dewan concluded by saying that despite all the myths around organ donation, many people sign up for organ donation in India, which is very encouraging. He said people should do a reality check and clear their misconceptions and doubts about organ donation. He motivated the audience by giving a heart-touching message- “The biggest religion is to donate organs after death and save lives of other people waiting for a life-saving transplant”.

 

Click here to watch the video.