Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital Commemorates Organ Donation Day 2026 with "Bandhan of Life" Ceremony
In a memorable effort to honour the noble act of organ donation, Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital organized Bandhan of Life – a heartwarming gathering of policymakers, doctors, donor families and organ recipients.
The event was inaugurated by Dr. Tarang Gianchandani, Group CEO – Healthcare Initiatives and Chief Executive Officer, Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, and Dr. Anil Kumar, Director, National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), Directorate General of Health Services, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India; along with prominent doctors from the hospital, including Dr. Rahul Pandit, Chair – Critical Care; Dr. Akash Shukla, Director – Hepatology, and Director-in-Charge, ROTTO-SOTTO Western Region & Maharashtra, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India; Dr. Anvay Mulay, Director – Advanced Cardiac Surgery & Heart Transplant; and other key dignitaries.
Reaffirming its commitment to raising awareness about the life-saving gift of organ donation, the gathering began with an insightful talk on demystifying organ donation. This was followed by a detailed FAQ session by a panel of prominent doctors. A keynote address by Dr. Tarang Gianchandani underlined the importance of organ donation and encouraged the audience to step up for this noble cause.
The highlight of the event was the symbolic Raksha Bandhan, in which the recipients tied customised Rakhis to the doctors, and the doctors tied theirs to the donor families, depicting the Bandhan of Life, followed by a felicitation ceremony. The initiative highlighted the emotional bond between donors, doctors and recipients, all connected by the thread of life.
In a move towards making the process of organ donation more humane for donor families, Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital recently enabled medico-legal post-mortems within its premises, sparing donor families the distress of transporting their loved ones to a government hospital. This first-of-its-kind practice, supported by JJ Hospital's forensic team and the Mumbai Police, marks a turning point in how donor care is managed in the city.
Dr. Tarang Gianchandani, Group CEO – Healthcare Initiatives and CEO, Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, said, "Organ donation is the purest gift of life. It is a pledge that turns grief into hope, and loss into life. Through this activity, our efforts are directed towards encouraging and educating society that every donor family's courage creates a tomorrow for someone else.
"As the leading healthcare institute, we are committed to creating a well-integrated healthcare ecosystem that thrives on infrastructure and excellence, and society, too, has an important role to play in this. Bound together in this Bandhan of Life, let's work towards a better and healthier Bharat."
"Awareness is the first step toward acceptance. By demystifying organ donation, we sought to dispel myths and encourage families to see it as an act of compassion. Each decision to donate has the power to save multiple lives," said Dr. Rahul Pandit, Chair – Critical Care, Reliance Foundation Hospital and all Reliance Foundation Healthcare Initiatives.
Commenting on the same, Dr. Akash Shukla, Director – Hepatology, Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, said, "Organ donation is one such noble deed that any human can perform to save the lives of others. Statistically, around 4 to 5 lakh (400,000–500,000) patients in India require an organ transplant each year. The gap is so vast that less than 10% of the patients actually receive one. With this initiative, our efforts are directed towards encouraging society to take up this good cause and pledge their organs."
Dr. Anvay Mulay, Director, Advanced Cardiac Surgery & Heart Transplant, Sir H.N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, stated,” The act of organ donation is the ultimate service to humanity that helps in saving human lives. Currently, India is the third highest country across the world in total organ transplantations, and ranks first in living organ transplants. While this is fascinating, the ground reality is contrastingly shocking. The rate of organ donation remains critically below one donor per million population. This should be a wake-up call for all of us to unite and pledge our organs to save as many lives as possible. Live Healthy, Die Healthy”
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