A two-day conference for transplant coordinators was organised by the Network and Alliance of Transplant Coordinators (NATCO) on October 7 - 8, 2023 at ITC Sonar & ITC Royal Bengal, Kolkata. NATCO is a national body that is committed to professional development of transplant coordinators and advancement of organ and tissue donation in India. The theme of the conference was “Moving Towards Uniformity” signifying the need for uniform procedure across all spheres of organ & tissue donation and transplant. The conference was held under the aegis of Indian Society of Organ Transplantation (ISOT). A total of 141 delegates from 17 states and UTs attended the conference.

Mr. Sanjay Prakash, MD & CEO, SBI Foundation lighting the lamp during the inauguration

Dignitaries releasing Indian Transplant Newsletter (L-R) Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram (Country Director, MOHAN Foundation), Dr. Anil Kumar (Director NOTTO), Shri. Sanjay Prakash (MD & CEO, SBI Foundation), Dr. Sunil Shroff (Managing Trustee, MOHAN Foundation), Dr. Anirban Bose (Trustee, MOHAN USA), Mr. Mayukh Choudhury (Founder, Milaap)

Subjects covered during the conference:

• ● Need for uniform laws for body donation in India
• ● Transplant schemes by national government
• ● Special skills involved in counselling with emphasis on skin donations, paediatric donations & donations after circulatory death (DCD)
• ● The Australian experience in increasing organ donation rates
• ● Swap donation & ABO incompatible transplants
• ● Living donation - Real life scenarios
• ● Organ trafficking & international laws addressing organ trafficking
• ● International transplant games

International faculty

• ● Dr. Jeremy Chapman (Director, Division of Medicine & Cancer, Westmead Hospital, Sydney)
• ● Dr. Elmi Muller (Head of Transplantation, Groote Schuur Hospital, South Africa)

Dr. Elmi Muller speaking on ‘Global efforts to address organ trafficking’

National faculty

• ● Ms. Rimy Khurana (Healthcare Consultant)
• ● Mr. Harshdeep Malhotra (Dadhichi Deh Dan Samithi)
• ● Dr. Subho Banerjee (IKDRC, Ahmedabad)
• ● Dr. Pratim Sengupta (Bellevue Clinic & ILS Hospital, Kolkata)

Many senior transplant coordinators who were also on the faculty board shared their experiences, provided their valuable insights and highlighted the various challenges encompassing organ donation.

Panel discussion - ‘Real life scenarios in living donation’ moderated by Ms. Trilly Mathew, Marengo Asia Healthcare Pvt. Ltd.

Ms. Ranjini Shankar, Project Manager, MOHAN Foundation Bengaluru

Ms. Mayuri Barge, Manager- Multi-organ Transplant Program, Dr. D Y Patil Hospital, Pune

Ms. Lijamol Joseph, Chief Transplant Coordinator, Jeevasarthakathe, SOTTO Karnataka

Swamy Narayan Oration

The Swamy Narayan Oration was delivered by Mr. Kamal Shah, Co-Founder, Nephroplus. Nephroplus is Asia's largest dialysis provider and has a presence in 4 countries and runs 325 dialysis centres. Mr. Kamal Shah spoke about his journey after being diagnosed with kidney failure at the age of 21 and his own personal challenges with dialysis and transplants to setting up Nephroplus and dialysis units in remote parts of the country, providing dialysis at a subsidised rate. His journey was extremely motivational & left a profound impact on the audience. He received a standing ovation for his unwavering commitment and determination. His inspirational speech filled the room with positivity and motivated the audience to overcome adversities and find meaning in life.

Mr. Kamal Shah, Co-Founder, Nephroplus delivering The Swamy Narayan Oration

Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram, Country Director, MOHAN Foundation, and Dr. Bharath Shah, Director, Nephrology and Renal Transplants, Global Hospitals, Mumbai were the presenters at the closing ceremony.

Participants at the conference

The recipient of the 'Dr Amalorpavanathan Best Scientific Paper' Award was Mr. Bulu Behera, Transplant Coordinator, MOHAN Foundation, Nagpur. Best Poster Award was given to Ms. Laishram Monica Devi, Program Officer and Ms. Udayini Khuman, Transplant Coordinator of MOHAN Foundation Imphal, Manipur.