The afternoon of August 11, 2017 witnessed the assembly of students in the Multi Purpose Hall, who had gathered there to attend the second guest lecture of the semester on the topic “Legal Perspective Of Organ Donation In India” delivered by Mr. Sudhir Deevan from Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network foundation (MOHAN)
The event began with everybody in attendance standing up to take the oath to contribute towards the development of our country, following the example of our Honourable Prime Minister, Mr. Narendra Modi. Mr. Deevan started the lecture by busting various myths about organ donation and showing the students pictures of various celebrities and people associated with the administration of the country who have bravely come forward to pledge their organs.
He went on to explain the legal perspective of organ donation in our country by giving the students the details about The Transplantation Of Human Organs Act, 1994 and telling them about the two kinds of donations legally recognized in India (viz; live and cadaveric). He informed the students that any living person above the age of 18 years can pledge his/ her organs by filling and signing Form 7 in the presence of two witnesses. The students were also made aware of the Donor Card, which can be filled by any person above the age of 18 years who desires to pledge his organs, and discuss the same with his/her family. The issue of illegal buying and selling of organs was also discussed, the penalization for such activities being 7-12 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to rupees 1 crore.
Mr. Deevan further inspired the audience to pledge their organs by reciting real life situations of how transplantations at the right time went on to save various lives all over the world. The efficiency of National Organisation of Tissue and Organ Transplant (NOTO) was also made apparent by way of sharing of incidents where the effective air transportation of organs by the organization made sure that the nobility of the citizens reach the needy in right time.
Students and faculty alike actively participated in the interactive session at the end of the lecture, where they put up their queries regarding organ donations, the scope for foreigners to get organs in India, how efficiently the condition of the organ being donated is checked, etc; which Mr. Deevan answered most gladly. The event ended with the faculty escorting the guest lecturer to tea amid applauding students.
In conclusion, the lecture was a huge success in creating awareness about organ donations and its legal provisions in our country.
This article was written by Sharanya Shrivastava (Ist Year)
