Awareness rally taken out in Rohtak to promote organ donation

To mark National Organ Donation Day, the State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (SOTTO) took out an awareness rally from Ch Ranbir Singh OPD block of the PGIMS to the Medical Turn to encourage people to come forward for this life-saving cause.

The event was inaugurated by Prof HK Aggarwal, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Health Sciences, Rohtak, as chief guest. PGIMS Director Dr SK Singhal and Dean Dr Ashok Chauhan attended as special guests.

In his address, Prof Aggarwal emphasised the urgent need to raise awareness about organ donation in the same way society once rallied behind blood donation. “There was a time when people hesitated in donating blood, but today they line up willingly. The same change in mindset is needed for organ donation,” he said.

Highlighting the emotional resonance of the event, Aggarwal noted the presence of individuals who had either received or were awaiting transplants. “No one understands the value of an organ better than them. Organs cannot be made in factories. In case of brain death or after death, we must come forward and donate,” he added. Dr SK Singhal drew attention to the increasing number of kidney and liver failure cases and urged greater public education on the subject. He encouraged the medical staff to gently counsel bereaved families about eye donation when a patient passed away.

Dean Dr Ashok Chauhan said the success of awareness campaigns lay in collective effort. “Just as kanyadaan is considered sacred, so is organ donation,” he remarked.

Dr Sukhbir Singh, the nodal officer of SOTTO, expressed gratitude to participants and said the rally included registered transplant recipients and their families to reinforce the message that organ donation saved lives. “Today, someone needs an organ—tomorrow, it could be you,” he said. Some patients shared their inspiring stories of receiving donated organs and now living healthy, normal lives—underscoring the life-transforming power of organ donation.