INDIA NEEDS MORE ORGAN RETRIEVAL CENTRES TO SAVE MORE LIVES, SAYS ROTARIAN LAL GOEL AT KR (PG) COLLEGE, MATHURA
NV Paulose, Chairman, Global TV +91 98441 82044
Mathura, February 26 — Rotarian Lal Goel, Founder and Charter President of the Rotary Club of Organ Donation International and Chairman of the Organ Donation India Foundation & GYAN, delivered a powerful and thought-provoking address at KR (PG) College, Mathura, calling for the urgent establishment of more Organ Retrieval Centres across India to bridge the country’s severe shortage of transplantable organs.
India’s Stark Organ Donation Gap
Addressing students and faculty at his alma mater, Rotarian Lal Goel highlighted the alarming disparity between India and global leaders in organ donation.
Rotarian Lal Goel pointed out that India’s organ donation rate stands at only about 0.65 per million population (PMP), while Spain leads the world with an extraordinary 52.6 PMP.
According to him, the gap is not due to a lack of compassion among Indians but rather to inadequate infrastructure and systemic limitations.
“Only around 15% of India’s revenue districts currently have Organ Retrieval Centres. As a result, many organs that could save lives are lost simply because there is no system to retrieve them in time,” he explained.
Rotarian Lal Goel stressed that expanding retrieval infrastructure is one of the most critical steps India must take to transform its organ donation landscape.
Programme Attended by Distinguished Guests
The programme commenced with a warm welcome by Prof. Dr Sanjiv Shrivastava, who introduced the distinguished guests.
Among those present were Rotarian PHF Deepak Goel, Foundation Chair (2026–27); Prof. Dr P. K. Agarwal, Principal of KR College; Rotarian PHF Ritika Gupta, President of the Rotary Club of Organ Donation International; and Rotarians Sunil Gupta, Regina Gupta, Pratul Agrawal, and Special Guest Kr Narendra Singh, a heavy weight political leader of Mathura District.
Rotarian PHF Deepak Goel spoke about Rotary International’s vast global network of over 1.2 million members across more than 45,000 clubs, highlighting its immense contributions to humanitarian service in healthcare, education, and social causes.
Rotarian PHF Ritika Gupta elaborated on the mission and initiatives of the Rotary Club of Organ Donation International, which is dedicated to promoting awareness and encouraging society to embrace organ donation as a life-saving act of humanity.
Inspiring Testimony from a Kidney Donor and Recipient
One of the most emotional and inspiring moments of the programme came when Rotarian Lal Goel introduced Rotarians Sunil and Regina Gupta, a husband-and-wife team from Sunnyvale, California, USA.
Rotarian Sunil Gupta shared his journey as a kidney transplant recipient, while Rotarian Regina Gupta spoke about her courageous decision to become a living kidney donor.
Their heartfelt account of *life before and after transplantation deeply moved the audience. They urged students and faculty to reject myths and misconceptions surrounding organ donation and to recognise it as an act that gives others a second chance at life.
Appeal for an Organ Retrieval Centre in Mathura
During the interactive question-and-answer session, Rotarian Goel made a heartfelt appeal to Kr Narendra Singh, his childhood friend, to champion the establishment of at least one Organ Retrieval Centre in Mathura.
Rotarian Lal Goel emphasised that many potentially life-saving organs are lost each year due to the absence of such facilities in the district.
Kr Narendra Singh thanked Rotarian Lal Goel for the invitation and praised his unwavering commitment to the cause of organ donation. He assured the gathering that he would make sincere efforts to facilitate the establishment of an Organ Retrieval Centre in Mathura.
He also expressed hope that students of KR College would emerge as torchbearers of the organ donation movement.
Encouraging Youth to Lead the Movement
Rotarian Pratul Agrawal, Director of Youth, motivated students to take the pledge for organ donation and become ambassadors of this noble cause.
Principal Prof. Dr P. K. Agarwal, in his vote of thanks, expressed deep appreciation for the enlightening session. He noted that the programme had made a profound impact on the students and faculty and assured that more such initiatives on organ donation would be organised in the future.
The programme was also attended by Rotarian Prof. Dr Yaduraj Singh Yadav, President of Rotary Club Vrindavan Dham, along with a large number of faculty members and students who participated enthusiastically in the awareness programme.
