As part of its effort to take the organ donation movement to different cities, the Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network (MOHAN) Foundation has launched its activities in Coimbatore.
A cultural competition for college students that included theatre, mime, poster design and collage aimed at raising organ donation awareness was organized to mark the occasion. ‘Organ-o-Cultural 2011’ was held at PSG College, Peelamedu and more than 10 colleges participated. Dr. Sunil Shroff, Managing Trustee of MOHAN Foundation said on the occasion, “The people of Coimbatore are committed to helping society, which is why we felt the need to involve the youth, hospitals and the general public in this programme. Also it is time to move the deceased organ donation programme from being Chennai-centric to a more broad-based one involving the whole of Tamil Nadu.”
MOHAN Foundation has been working with the deceased organ donation programme since 1997. Through its efforts in Chennai and Hyderabad over the past decade, there has been an increase in the number of families saying “yes” to organ donation. In 2009, MOHAN Foundation started the “Transplant Coordinators’ Training Programme,” which is being supported by the Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust, a press release said.
The Foundation’s transplant coordinators have been placed in the Government General Hospital, Chennai. Their help in counselling families of brain dead patients has greatly advanced the deceased organ donation programme in the hospital. From February 2010 to January 2011, a total of 184 life-saving organs and tissues were donated.
Pratap Gokuldas, Past Governor, Rotary Club, coordinated the launch of MOHAN Foundation activities in Coimbatore. He said he had been involved with motivating people about eye donation for many years now and his brother, Arun Gokuldas, was working for blood donation, having donated blood more than 150 times. Ms. R. Veena, Transplant Coordinator, narrated the stories of some of the deceased organ donors in Chennai and Hyderabad.
Dr. Sunil Shroff and Arun Gokuldas felicitated the guests of honour including Dr. J.G. Shanmuganathan Chairman, Ganga Hospital, Dr. R.V. Ramani, Managing Trustee, Sankara Eye Hospital, Dr. J. S. Bhuvaneswaran, Medical Director, PSG Hospital, Dr. V. Kumaran, Dean, KMCH , Dr. K. S. Ramalingam, Chief Nephrologist, Coimbatore Kidney Centre, Dr. P. Sivaprakasam, RMO, Govt. General Hospital, Dr.(Col) T.B. Ramakrishnan, Medical Superintendent , Kuppusamy Naidu Hospital.
Dr. K.S. Ramalingam said, with MOHAN Foundation now in Coimbatore, the hospitals would have a partner with whom they could take the deceased organ donation programme forward.
A special organ donation pin was launched by Arun Gokuldas and the first one was given to the chief guest, actor R. Sivakumar, who had signed a donor card at an earlier meeting held by MOHAN Foundation. In his address, Mr. Sivakumar highlighted the spirit of sacrifice and how necessary it was for each and everyone to carry an organ donor card. He said organ donation was a divine deed.
