MOHAN Foundation (Multi Organ Harvesting Aid Network)

Background
15 people die each day due to the non-availability of organs. The Multi-Organ Harvesting Aid Network set up in Hyderabad in 2002 to reverse this, and to bring about major change in the lives of patients of organ-failure.

MOHAN functions as a donor coordinator for the kidneys, the heart, the liver, the lungs, the pancreas, the intestines and the bone marrow. This implies that it functions as an intermediary between the organ donor and the recipient.

Activities
At the moment, MOHAN only facilitates cadaver transplants - wherein a living person receives an organ from a brain-dead person, enabling doctors to retrieve most organs and transplant them successfully. It currently functions through a network of 7 hospitals in the city that are licensed to perform organ transplantation on their premises. In 2 brief years, it has also garnered the support of over 12 families.

Volunteer Opportunities
To become a potential donor, pick up a donor card from the MOHAN office, fill out your personal details, and let someone in your family know of your intentions to donate. Before you let your fears get the better of you, rest assured that nothing akin to a Robin Cook novel is about to happen. You do not need to register with MOHAN, or even give them your name. Remember that you always have the option of simply tearing up your donor card and discarding it.

As an individual, you could also help by creating awareness about organ donation, and rope in the support of like-minded people.

Contrary to your expectations, surgical instruments are not strewn about the office - although you will find plaster models and charts of organs in the office to educate you. All the cadaverous activities take place only on medical premises - where lives are usually miraculously brought back from the point of no return, thanks to the bridge called MOHAN.