Chandigarh:
In a deeply moving tribute to the spirit of humanity and compassion, 16 brave-heart donor families were honoured at PGIMER for their extraordinary decision to consent to organ donation in the midst of their personal tragedy—an act that has impacted 80 lives, including giving a second lease of life to 52 patients suffering from end-stage organ failure and restoring sight to 28 corneal blind patients through organ and tissue transplantation at PGIMER.
The tribute ceremony was held during the inaugural session of SAMARTHAN 2026, a CME-cum-Workshop on Organ Donation and Transplantation organised by ROTTO North, PGIMER Chandigarh, which witnessed participation by over 200 delegates from the medical fraternity and civil society across the region.
The emotional felicitation saw the entire auditorium rise in a standing ovation, acknowledging the extraordinary courage and generosity of the donor families whose selfless decision transformed personal grief into a gift of life for dozens of patients awaiting transplants.
Paying rich tributes to the donor families, Prof. Vivek Lal, Director PGIMER, who graced the occasion as Chief Guest, said,“PGIMER owes its distinct place in organ transplantation to all the donor families. It would not have been possible to reach this far without the courageous decisions and selfless gestures of these families. There is no metric to measure such a magnanimous gift of life. It is deeply gratifying that the donor families trusted PGIMER with their noblest wish to save others’ lives and that the institute could live up to that trust.”
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Anil Kumar, Director, National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation, New Delhi, who attended as Guest of Honour, said that the only sustainable way to bridge the gap between organ availability and requirement is to create a culture of voluntary deceased organ donation. He emphasised that when society empathizes with patients waiting for organs and pledges for organ donation, countless lives can be saved. He also reiterated NOTTO’s commitment to strengthening awareness initiatives and engaging students as young ambassadors of change.
Lauding the spirit of generosity in the region, Dr. Amarjeet Kaur, Senior Regional Director, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Chandigarh, highlighted that the spirit behind organising Samarthan 2026 is to disseminate correct information and further strengthen the movement for organ donation . She noted that nothing can be more motivating than the presence of brave-heart donor families, whose courageous decisions amidst immense grief inspire hope for thousands of patients waiting for life-saving transplants.
The brave-heart families honoured on the occasion included those of Sukhwinder Singh, 40 years, from Sunam, Sangrur; Jatinder Singh, 36 years, from Fatehgarh Sahib; Ravinder Singh, 36 years, from Chandigarh; Harpreet Kaur, 17 years, from Bassi Pathana; Navneet Thakur, 23 years, from Kangra; Major Singh, 54 years, from Rajpura, Patiala; Parveen Kumar, 44 years, from Panchkula; Naresh Kumar, 30 years, from Kaithal; and Raveesh Kunwar Malik, 36 years, from Zirakpur.
Also honoured were the families of Harpinder Singh, 40 years, from Anandpur Sahib; Gurnoor Singh, 18 years, from Ludhiana; and Davinder Singh, 36 years, from Ropar. Additionally, the families of Arshdeep Singh, 18 years; Balwinder Singh, 56 years; Pyar Chand, 44 years; and Biswanath Saw, 44 years from the Indian Army were also honoured for their inspiring contribution.
Earlier, setting the context, Prof. Vipin Koushal, Medical Superintendent PGIMER, Head Department of Hospital Administration and Nodal Officer ROTTO North, stated that the objective of organising Samarthan 2026 is to build further impetus to ROTTO North’s agenda on organ donation while highlighting the critical enablers and coordinated institutional efforts that make organ donation and transplantation possible.
The inaugural session was followed by an academic workshop featuring eminent clinicians and experts, who deliberated on multiple facets of organ transplantation. The sessions focused on strengthening deceased organ donation programmes, improving coordination mechanisms and promoting awareness, leading to engaging discussions and meaningful knowledge exchange among participants.
