NHS Blood and Transplant UK and the MOHAN Foundation, India sign Memorandum of Understanding to Improve Organ Donation Rate
London, UK (PRWEB) March 16, 2015 -- Representatives from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and the MOHAN Foundation, a not-for-profit organ donation charity based in India, met at the House of Lords on 26th Feb 2015 to sign an important Memorandum of Understanding, agreeing to work together to learn from each other’s experiences.
NHS Blood and Transplant is the organ donor organisation for the UK, and has agreed to share their expertise in increasing the number of organ donors, matching and allocating donated organs and auditing, analysing and publishing both organ donation and outcomes after transplantation. In return the MOHAN Foundation will show how NHSBT can better communicate and engage with Asian, Black and minority ethnic communities in the UK.
In general, British Asian people are more likely to need an organ transplant than the rest of the UK population because they are more susceptible to illnesses such as diabetes, kidney disease, some viral infections and heart disease, which may result in organ failure and the need for a lifesaving transplant. There are currently 6,871 people on the transplant list, including 1071 British Asian people.
Ian Trenholm, Chief Executive of NHS Blood and Transplant said: “We were honoured to be approached by the MOHAN Foundation and delighted to share our experience and expertise with them to help to achieve their goals to increase Organ Donation and Transplantation activity in India.
“In the UK, sadly, families from black, Asian and minority ethnic groups are less likely to agree to organ donation going ahead. All organs are matched by blood group and some also by tissue type so patients from the same ethnic group are more likely to be a close match, and patients from these communities often wait longer for a transplant.
“We hope to learn from the MOHAN Foundation about how we can raise awareness of organ donation among the British Asian community and make sure all patients get the transplant operations they need.”
Dr. Sunil Shroff, Managing Trustee, MOHAN Foundation said, “Improving the donation rate in both the countries is the objective of this partnership."
During the event an "Organ Donor Optimization" mobile app was launched for intensive care units to help new transplant programmes in optimizing potential organ donors who are brain dead and where the relatives have agreed to donate their organs. The app was developed by Dr.N.Sridhar, Former NHSBT Regional Lead for Organ Donation, Midlands, UK and presently Senior ICU consultant in Kavery Hospital, Chennai, India in partnership with MOHAN Foundation and Medindia.net and is available for Android phones and Apple iPhones.
The event held at the House of Lords at which the Memorandum of Understanding was witnessed and hosted by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff, President of the British Medical Association. The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Ian Trenholm, Chief Executive of NHSBT and Sunil Shroff, Trustee of the MOHAN Foundation.
About NHSBT:
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is a joint England and Wales Special Health Authority. Its remit includes the provision of a reliable, efficient supply of blood and associated services to the NHS in England and North Wales. It is also the organ donor organisation for the UK and is responsible for matching and allocating donated organs, The NHS Organ Donor Register records the details of people who have registered their wishes to donate organs and/or tissue after their death for transplantation. This information is used by authorized medical staff to establish whether a person wanted to donate. There are currently around 10,000 people in the UK in need of an organ transplant. This figure changes constantly though as people join and leave the transplant list.
For additional information please contact: Mike Thompson by calling 0151 268 7016 or the NHSBT Press Office on 01923 367600. For out of hours enquiries please call: 0117 969 2444
About MOHAN Foundation:
MOHAN Foundation (http://www.mohanfoundation.org) is a not-for-profit, non-governmental organization that was started in 1997 by like-minded doctors and non-medical professionals to promote organ donation in India. Its expertise in creating awareness, training of transplant coordinators and networking with other similar Non-Governmental and government organisations has resulted in over 900 multi-donations in India in the last three years and has provided hope to many with organ failure awaiting a transplant surgery. It is a registered NGO with headquarters in Chennai, India.
For further media inquiries please contact:
Dr. Sumana Navin
MOHAN Foundation
267 Kilpauk Garden Road, Chennai, India.
Phone: +91-44-26447000, Mobile: +91-7708668831
Email: info(AT)mohanfoundation.org
Website: http://www.mohanfoundation.org
Sumana Navin, MOHAN Foundation, http://www.mohanfoundation.org, +91 4426447000, [email protected]
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