Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital organised ‘Bandhan of Life’, a gathering aimed at honouring organ donors and their families while raising awareness about organ donation and the life-saving impact of transplantation.

The event brought together policymakers, doctors, donor families and organ recipients and was inaugurated by Dr. Tarang Gianchandani, Group CEO – Healthcare Initiatives and CEO, Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, and Dr. Anil Kumar, Director, National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), along with senior doctors from the hospital.

The programme included a session on demystifying organ donation, followed by an interactive FAQ session with doctors. A keynote address by Dr. Gianchandani highlighted the need to encourage greater awareness and participation in organ donation.

The emotional highlight was a symbolic Raksha Bandhan ceremony, during which organ recipients tied customised Rakhis to doctors, while doctors tied Rakhis to donor families. The ceremony represented the bond connecting donor families, medical teams and recipients through the gift of life.

Dr. Tarang Gianchandani said organ donation represents a “purest gift of life” and called for greater participation from society in creating awareness around the cause.

“Every donor family's courage creates a tomorrow for someone else,” she said, adding that building a stronger healthcare ecosystem requires both medical excellence and active participation from society.

Dr. Rahul Pandit, Chair – Critical Care, Reliance Foundation Hospital and all Reliance Foundation Healthcare Initiatives, said awareness was the first step towards greater acceptance of organ donation. He emphasised the need to dispel myths and encourage families to view donation as an act of compassion that can save multiple lives.

According to Dr. Akash Shukla, Director – Hepatology, Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, an estimated 4–5 lakh patients in India require organ transplants every year, while less than 10% receive a transplant, highlighting the continuing gap between demand and availability.

Dr. Anvay Mulay, Director, Advanced Cardiac Surgery & Heart Transplant, noted that India is among the world's leading countries in total organ transplants and ranks first in living-donor transplants, but said the country's deceased organ donation rate remains critically low.

The hospital also highlighted a recent initiative aimed at reducing the burden on donor families. Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital has enabled medico-legal post-mortems within its premises, allowing families of organ donors to avoid transporting their loved ones to a government hospital.

 The facility is supported by the JJ Hospital forensic team and Mumbai Police and is intended to make the organ donation process more sensitive and convenient for grieving families.