A brainstorming session for organ transplant coordinators of Delhi and NCR was conducted at the AIIMS on September 13 to promote organ donation.

Forty-three transplant coordinators from 31 prominent private and public hospitals in Delhi and NCR attended the programme which was a collaborative effort by the Organ Retrieval Banking Organisation (ORBO) and the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), according to an AIIMS statement.

The group discussed various aspects of organ donation intensively and made several recommendations which will be submitted to the government.

"A transplant coordinator is one among the most significant components involved in an organ and tissue donation. Their work is exhaustive as they are the focal point of contact for donor families and all other stakeholders involved in the process of organ donation.

"This initiative of brainstorming session being the first of its kind is a great learning experience for the transplant coordinators," said Professor Subrata Sinha, Dean (Academic) at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

NOTTO Director said that a transplant coordinator is a very critical link in the whole process of organ and tissue donation. "We must regularly conduct such initiatives to empower our transplant coordinators and increase organ donation activities in Delhi and NCR," he stated.

Dr Aarti Vij, Head of ORBO, AIIMS, said, "Our aim while organising this brainstorming session was to bring together transplant coordinators from different private and public sector hospitals in Delhi and NCR on a platform to discuss various aspects of brain stem death certification and organ donation.

"The group discussed several aspects of organ donation like identification of potential donors, screening, donor management, BSD certification, counselling, retrieval of organs, documentation, transportation and transplantation. The participants came up with many innovative ideas to streamline the organ donation process so as to increase organ donation activities in Delhi and NCR."

Dr Sanjeev Lalwani, Professor of Forensic Medicine and Registrar, stressed the significance of proper documentation in organ donation. "The legal aspects involved in organ donation and transplantation must be complied with," he said.