Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC), Mumbai, in collaboration with MOHAN Foundation organized a one week Transplant Coordinators' Training Programme at KEM Hospital, Mumbai, in December 2010. The training programme is supported by the Navajbai Ratan Tata Trust. 70 participants including transplant coordinators, social workers, doctors, nurses and dieticians underwent the training course. Dr. Sujata Patwardhan, Prof. and HOD, Dept. of Urology, GSMC and KEMH, Parel, Mumbai, and Secretary, ZTCC was a key figure in putting this programme together. She was ably assisted by the ZTCC team of Ms. Sujata Ashtekar, Ms. Urmila and Ms. Suvarna.

The keen enthusiasm and interaction of the participants made the training programme extremely vibrant.Experts in the various aspects of organ donation and transplantation shared their experiences. For the MOHAN Foundation team from Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh, it was an eye-opener to learn that the first skin bank was established in Mumbai. Dr. Madhuri Gore who started the skin bank said that in the year 2010 alone they received 102 skin donations from cadavers. This has been facilitated by a motivated volunteer group called 'Sunday Friends' who counsel families about skin donation. Like eye donation, the skin retrieval team goes to the residence of the donor and harvests the skin. The procedure takes hardly 45 minutes and there is no disfigurement. Through this they have helped many burn victims. It is a model that one hopes to replicate in other parts of India as well.