MOHAN Foundation conducted an awareness session on organ donation for 25 PG students of Social Work (Disability and Empowerment) of Madras School of Social Work (MSSW), Chennai on May 13, 2022. Dr Hemal Kanvinde, Quality Assurance Officer and Ms Preetha Baskar, Project Executive of MOHAN Foundation and interns from MMM College of Health Sciences were deputed to conduct the session.

 

A video was played to raise the curiosity of the audience about organ donation. The session started off with an interactive presentation on the Concepts of Organ  Donation, where the students answered a lot of questions and learned the concepts, legal process and myths. Two stories were narrated to make the audience aware of the real life situations.

 

The Q & A session started. The  following questions  asked by the students were answered: .

1. What is the process to get an organ?
2. I am willing to donate my organs, but if my parents don't give consent what will happen?
3. I am a smoker, can I donate my lungs?
4. Can genital organs be donated?
5. What are the precautionary measures to keep my organs healthy for donation?
6. What if there is no one to claim the body of a deceased person? Will their organs be retrieved? If so, who will give consent?
7. I am a person with refractive error, shall I donate my eyes?

 

Dr Hemal explained the importance of a recipient counseling and vital role of a transplant coordinator with an interesting story. Audience was attentive and listened to the story of a CKD patient and her struggles and how she came out of it.

 

A heart transplant recipient video was screened to show how the life of a person has changed after receiving a life saving organ.

 

Dr Hemal briefed the audience about the courses offered by MOHAN Foundation. Students were interactive and attentive. Around 15 of them pledged for organ donation and took up the donor cards. MOHAN Foundation thanks the college management and Dr. C. Francis, Head, Department of Social Work (Disability and Empowerment) for the coordination and support.