Mega Organ Donation awareness camp “Live beyond life” flagged off today at the hands of Rotarian Prafull Sharma,Rotary District Governor 3141 at Rotary Center, S.V.Road, Malad (West)..

Mega organ donation awareness event under the banner “Live beyond Life” was

organized by Rotary International District 3141 with over 62 Rotary clubs participating for this noble cause. The event was held on Saturday ,29^th July,2017 from 9.30 am onwards at the L.M.Patel Eye Hospital popularly known as The Rotary Center, Malad (West).

Rotarian Manish Gyani was the convener of the event with core committee comprising of Rotarian Rashmi Das (Rotary club of LokhandwalaKandivili), Rotarian Rajesh Modi (Rotary club of Borivili East), Rotarian AnilKainya (Rotary club of Mumbai Western Elite),RotarianHarminder Singh (Rotary club of Bombay West), Rotarian Ashok Ajmera (Rotary club of Bombay North).

The event was attended by over 180 Rotarians and Rotaractors. Engaging youth for organ donation under Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) was the one of the themes. There is acute shortage of organs and skin to help the needy and there is no better giving than pledging our eyes,skin and organs which can provide sight and life to someone, we living beyond our life, said District Governor Rotarian Prafull Sharma. Public Image Avenue Chair Rotarian Vikas Upadhyay for District Thrust Areas from Rotary club of Mumbai West Coast said that Rotary has been promoting awareness on importance of organ donation and will continue in its efforts in the coming years as well. He further said that Rotary is focused on various community service initiatives with thrust areas on Diabetes, Railway Station adoption , Touching Little hearts (Pediatric heart surgeries) and Generic Medicines. A number of toilet blocks are being built in schools and at railway stations. Rotary after eradicating Polio now is focused on TEACH (Literacy) and Wash-in-schools projects apart from other initiatives like tree plantation to save environment. More than 2000 bottles of blood units were collected on 1^st July, 2017 with mega blood donation drive across Mumbai.

Rotary District Governor Prafull Sharma said that this event is just a beginning with mega awareness camps planned at major railway stations ,bus stands, malls, schools and colleges on 20^th August,2017 and at all Ganapati Pandals from 24^th to 31^st August,2017. The pledge forms will be distributed with contact numbers during these camps to facilitate the cause.

These kind of awareness camps will be planned throughout the year and in the following years to come. This will be mobilized engaging the Rotaractors emphasizing the importance of organ donation awareness in today’s youth.

Dr.SunilKeswani said that Rotary has a skin bank at Airoli and various eye hospitals across Mumbai  which will provide logistic support to this initiative. He further clarified on associated myths and said that it begins with making a will to pledge our organs and skin and the relative to contact the nearest hospital or skin bank after the death of the individual. The cause will be further taken up at the adjoining rural areas after completing first phase in Mumbai.