MOHAN Foundation in partnership with NATCO (Network and Alliance of Transplant Coordinators) organized an Advanced Transplant Coordinators' Workshop titled "Navigating Change" bringing together senior transplant coordinators and NGO representatives to address critical issues in the field. Supported by SBI Foundation, the event addressed insightful discussions and networking opportunities.

The theme of navigating change resonated deeply in our current landscape, where rapid advancements in medical science, evolving ethical considerations, and the ever-changing dynamics of healthcare systems present both opportunities and challenges. The workshop served as a platform to navigate these changes collaboratively, leveraging collective expertise and experiences to drive meaningful progress.

Ethical Case Discussions : Dr Sanjay Nagral (Senior Consultant & Director, Dept. of Surgical Gastroenterology, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, Mumbai) emphasized the distinction between law and ethics, highlighting the trust placed in the idea of deceased organ donation for public good and allocation systems. He also pointed out the challenges, particularly concerning the dominance of larger transplant centers and the private sector. Dr Nagral applied case studies to illustrate ethical issues that can arise in organ donation and transplantation to spark engaging discussions.

Paediatric Transplantation-Challenges and the Way Forward: Dr. Sonal Asthana (Clinical Lead HPB & Multi-Organ Transplant Surgery, Aster Group of Hospitals, Bengaluru) provided an overview, stating that 10% of liver transplants are performed on children, with a 75% survival rate at 20 years.

Dr. Vikram Kumar (Max Hospital, Delhi) discussed how to effectively counsel parents of paediatric transplant recipients, emphasizing the importance of building rapport, communicating in the local language, and ensuring the parents' understanding and comfort with the treatment process.

Ms Shweta (Transplant Coordinator, Aster CMI Bengaluru) highlighted the importance of improving the health of malnourished children with liver failure before transplantation, noting challenges in motivating families, particularly for infants under one year.

Living Donation (other than near relatives) : Dr Anil Agarwal, Director, Professor, & Head, Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery & Liver Transplant, GB Pant Hospital, New Delhi, discussed the role of the Competent Authority, the Authorisation Committee, in ensuring compliance with laws and regulations.

A panel discussion, featuring Mr Sanjay Jain (Senior Advocate & Former Additional Solicitor General of India), Dr. Amit Joshi (Deputy Medical Superintendent, Bombay Hospital, Indore), Dr Arun Kumar Agarwal (Dean and Director Professor, ENT Maulana Azad Medical College) and Ms Latha Kumaraswamy (Managing Trustee, TANKER Foundation) delved into various aspects of living donation, including spousal consent, defining altruism, and identifying fake or "well-trained" donors.

Non-Transplant Organ Retrieval Centers (NTORC) : The session focused on expanding the donor pool through NTORCs. Ms Lalitha Raghuram (Country Director, MOHAN Foundation) presented a status report, highlighting the progress in Karnataka and across India. Dr Deepali Tewari (Additional Chief Medical Superintendent & Senior Ophthalmologist, Vadodara Division at Western Railways) shared her experience in coordinating donations from NTORCs in Vadodara. Dr Noble Gracious (Executive Director, Kerala State Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization & Associate Professor, Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram) discussed strategies to motivate hospitals to become NTORCs.   Ms Lijamol Joseph (Executive Committee Member South, NATCO) emphasized the importance of careful planning for integrating multiple hospitals as NTORCs. D. Georgi Abraham, MGM Healthcare, Chennai discussed the potential of registering all district and taluk hospitals as NTORCs, while Dr Avnish Seth, Head, Manipal Organ Sharing & Transplant (MOST), Delhi, highlighted the pivotal role of committed doctors in driving the declaration of brain death and subsequent donation procedures, even within a chain of hospitals.