For decades, families in Jharkhand facing end-stage kidney or liver failure have had to look beyond the state's borders for hope. Many have travelled more than 1,500 kilometres to the Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore – one of India's most respected centres for organ transplantation and advanced kidney and liver care. Yet these journeys come at a considerable cost. Repeated travel for investigations, dialysis, transplant evaluation, surgery and lifelong follow-up impose an enormous financial, physical and emotional burden on patients and their families.

The need for a robust deceased organ donation programme in Jharkhand is therefore both urgent and compelling. A well-functioning deceased organ donation programme is an integral component of a modern healthcare system. It promotes equitable access to life-saving organ transplantation while strengthening intensive care services, brainstem death certification, multidisciplinary collaboration and hospital preparedness across the state.

Twenty-five years after becoming a separate state, Jharkhand had yet to witness its first deceased organ donor. The absence of an organised deceased organ donation programme meant that the opportunity to save multiple lives through a single donor remained unrealised. With India's deceased organ donation rate still below one donor per million population, building institutional capacity and public awareness in emerging states such as Jharkhand is imperative.

Recognising this unmet need, MOHAN Foundation established its presence in Ranchi in early 2026, with a vision to help build the state's deceased organ and tissue donation programme. Working in partnership with the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (SOTTO), government departments and healthcare institutions, the Foundation initiated a series of awareness and capacity-building efforts aimed at creating an enabling ecosystem for deceased organ and tissue donation. These efforts marked the beginning of a coordinated movement to build institutional preparedness, strengthen healthcare systems and foster public trust in organ donation.

A major milestone in this journey was the one-day workshop on "Best Practices in Organ and Tissue Donation," organised in June 2026 at Ramada, Ranchi, under the aegis of SOTTO Jharkhand and in collaboration with Manipal Organ Sharing and Transplant (MOST). The workshop brought together 105 participants, including policymakers, senior government officials, transplant experts, clinicians, hospital administrators, nurses, transplant coordinators, grief counsellors, and representatives from government and private healthcare institutions across the state.

The workshop was inaugurated by the Hon'ble Chief Minister of Jharkhand, Shri Hemant Soren, and the Hon'ble Minister for Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare, Dr. Irfan Ansari. In his inaugural address, Shri Hemant Soren highlighted the importance of sustained public awareness and stronger healthcare systems in advancing deceased organ donation. Dr. Irfan Ansari reaffirmed the state's commitment to adopting successful organ donation models from across the country. Shri Ajay Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare, Government of Jharkhand, also addressed the gathering, underscoring the need for institutional collaboration to strengthen the state's transplant ecosystem.

The keynote address was delivered by Dr. (Col.) Avnish Seth, Director, Manipal Organ Sharing and Transplant (MOST) and Country Lead – Best Practices, MOHAN Foundation, who outlined strategies for strengthening hospital-based deceased organ donation through early donor identification, brainstem death certification and coordinated multidisciplinary care.

The scientific programme provided a comprehensive overview of the deceased organ and tissue donation pathway, covering organ and tissue donation, eye and skin banking, neurocritical care, brainstem death identification and certification, donor management, grief counselling and donor selection. The faculty included experts from across India, including Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram, Dr. (Col.) Avnish Seth and Ms. Jaya Jairam (MOHAN Foundation); Dr. B.P. Kashyap and Dr. Nishi Kashyap (Kashyap Memorial Eye Hospital, Ranchi); Dr. Sunil Keswani (National Burns Centre, Mumbai); Dr. Anant Sinha (Devkamal and Devanika Hospitals, Ranchi); Dr. Shruti Tandan (Jaslok Hospital, Mumbai); Dr. Vijay Kumar Mishra (Manipal Hospitals, Ranchi) and Dr. Vijay Kumar Singh (Medanta Hospital, Ranchi).

The workshop culminated with an interactive panel discussion on strengthening organ and tissue donation in Jharkhand, moderated by Dr. (Col.) Avnish Seth and Mrs. Lalitha Raghuram. The panel featured Shri Ajay Kumar Singh, Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare, Government of Jharkhand, along with representatives from Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), SOTTO Jharkhand, Medanta Hospital, Manipal Hospitals, Raj Hospitals, Orchid Hospitals and other private hospitals in Ranchi.

Discussions focused on strengthening collaboration between government and private healthcare institutions, streamlining donor referral pathways, building multidisciplinary teams and enhancing institutional preparedness. The panel underscored that a coordinated, state-wide approach is essential to establishing a sustainable organ and tissue donation programme.

The workshop concluded with a collective commitment from the Government of Jharkhand, healthcare institutions, and partner organisations to work together towards establishing a robust organ and tissue donation programme in Jharkhand.