On 24th January 2024, MOHAN Foundation and Wockhardt Hospital Mira Road (Mumbai) jointly conducted a Patient Support Group Meeting for Dialysis patients and their caregivers. Dr. Puneet Bhuwania (Consultant Nephrologist & Transplant Physician) of Wockhardt Hospital hosted the program and discussed the importance of taking charge to live well while on dialysis and give kidney transplant a serious thought. Kidney transplants are the only option that offer a good quality of life for those who have been detected with end stage kidney failure. He shared the objective of this meeting was to enable open discussions on fear and misconceptions to dowith transplants. Nutritionist and Senior dietician Dt. Riya Desai shared an overview of dietary tips for dialysis patients, including do's and don't .Ms. Jaya Jairam (Project Director MOHAN Foundation) gave an informative presentation on –

 Treatment options available for a dialysis patient

 Kidney Transplant as an option that helps the patients to lead near normal quality of life

 Comparison between Dialysis cost and Kidney Transplant cost

 Types of kidney donors and types of kidney transplant

 Life after a kidney transplant

She went on to share her own personal story of how kidney transplant saved her life and gave her the freedom and a chance to lead a normal and enjoyable life with her near and dear ones.Another kidney recipient-donor couple were also invited to share their experiences. The session was interesting and interactive. The sharing of journeys by the recipients and the donor made the session quite impactful. Around 50 dialysis patients and caregivers attendedthe event.The audience raised many queries, and their doubts were put to rest. Some of the queries included -

What is Brain death?

What all organs can be donated while being alive?

How is the donor doing after the surgical procedure and how does it affects the routine?

“It was an inspirational and eye-opening session for patients who have a lot of misconceptions about transplants”– Dr Puneet Bhuvania, Consultant Nephrologist & Transplant Physician, Wockhardt Hospital, Mira Road, Mumbai