Pune: Maharashtra health minister Prakash Abitkar has directed officials to implement a statewide awareness campaign on organ donation from Aug 3 to 15.He said that the initiative be treated as a mass movement to help patients awaiting transplants.At a state-level planning meeting in Mumbai recently, Abitkar reviewed ongoing organ donation efforts and called for intensified outreach to reduce public hesitation and change perceptions around donation. “The campaign should focus on building trust and spreading awareness at scale, so that patients in need get a new lease of life,” he said.The drive will involve department-wise awareness activities coordinated by divisional transplant committees. District-level programmes have also been planned, including felicitations on Aug 15 for families of deceased organ donors and recipients.The meeting was attended by minister of state, public health department, Meghna Sakore-Bordikar, and public health dept ommissioner Dr. Kadambari Balkawade, among other officials from the public health and medical education departments.Guardian ministers in each district will honour donor families and recipients on Independence Day. Officials stressed that public participation and inter-departmental coordination will be key to the success of the campaign.
