PGIMER Chandigarh wins national award for promoting organ donation

CHANDIGARH: The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research has won a national award for its contribution towards the promotion of cadaver organ donation. At an event organised by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) in New Delhi on Thursday, PGIMER bagged the award for Chandigarh in the 'UT with the highest number of deceased donors' category, the institute said in a release issued here.

Another accolade won by the institute was the award conferred to Dr Ashish Sharma, Head, Department of Renal Transplant Surgery, PGIMER for his 'exemplary performance in transplant surgery'. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya was the chief guest at this national event to celebrate the 13th Indian Organ Donation Day.

According to the PGIMER release, this is the fifth time that the institute has won the national award for its contribution towards the deceased organ donation programme. Earlier, PGIMER has won four national awards in the ‘Best Hospital’ category in the deceased donation programme for the years 2015-16, 2016-17, 2018-19, 2019-20, the release said.

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The award for the ‘UT with the highest number of deceased donors' was introduced this year, it added. Speaking on the institute’s latest achievement, Vivek Lal, PGIMER Director said, “It's an honour to be acknowledged nationally for our contribution towards the promotion of the deceased organ donation programme."

“This award is a reiteration of the fact that we at PGIMER have been able to make a difference in the Union Territory in the field of Organ Donation beyond the confines of our hospital," Lal said. “The timing of the award is perfect as PGI has accomplished 300 deceased donations impacting 714 lives since the inception of the deceased donation programme in 1996 here,” the director added.

Dr Vipin Koushal, Medical Superintendent cum Nodal Officer, Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation, PGIMER, said, “We at PGIMER dedicate these awards to all the braveheart donor families for their unparalleled benevolence which helped save hundreds of lives and in fact, sustain the deceased donation programme here.”