Nagpur, Maharashtra, October 25, 2024: To commemorate World Anatomy Day 2024, the Department of Anatomy of AIIMS Nagpur, organized a series of events from October 24^th to 26^th, 2024, which included rangoli competition for undergraduate medical and nursing students; felicitation of body donor’s families and arranging an educational show of anatomical specimen for the high school and NEET aspirant students, in collaboration with Student council’s ‘MedXplore’ activity.

The ‘body donation awareness and felicitation programme’ was arranged in presence of fresh batch of medical undergraduate students. The programme was presided over by Dr. Prashant Joshi, Executive Director and CEO of AIIMS Nagpur. Other authorities of the institute present on this occasion as the guests of honour, were Mr. Vijay Nayak (Deputy Director- Admin), Dr. Seema Parvekar, (Medical Superintendent), Dr. Rasika Gadkari (Offg. Dean- Academics) and Dr. Manish Shrigiriwar (Professor FMT department &, Ex-Medical Superintendent). The special invitees were the selective family members of the body donors in past one year.

Dr. A.M. Tarnekar, Professor and Head of the Department of Anatomy, welcomed all the guests and expressed his gratitude to the donor families for taking the crucial decision of donating the mortal remains of the deceased family member. He emphasized the immense importance of such noble deed in medical education and research. After briefly explaining the procedure of body donation, he highlighted the societal challenge confronted during the joint decision of the family members in favour of donation. List of 14 body donors of past year were shared with audience and it was informed that two of them were unidentified citizens for whom police had given clearance for donation with valuable coordination of then MS, Dr Manish Shrigiriwar.

The invited family members were then felicitated in the hands of institute authorities with shawl and eco-friendly memento. Those who pledged their bodies for educational purpose were provided with ‘Donor cards’. Dr Chandrakant Mehare, a social worker of the city providing coordination for organ and body donation and Mr Nagesh Wahurwagh, who is currently making a documentary on body donation, were also felicitated institute authorities on this occasion.

Expressing their views, one of the guests, Mr. Mahendra Gajbhiye, a retired IAS officer, mentioned that the crucial decision of pledging the body comes only after surpassing the socio-religious hurdles and therefore is to be promoted in the society. Late Chimanrao Shinde who very recently donated his body, had conveyed regarding pledging of his body to his family. His daughter, Dr. Deepali Kadam, Professor in Radiology at NKP Salve Medical College, Nagpur, mentioned that the collective decision of donation of her father was taken with a firm belief that medical students will best utilise his mortal remains for their studies and in this way he would get an extended life. Her husband, Dr. Satish Kadam, who is Anaesthetist by profession and also a staunch promoter of body donation campaign in the city, mentioned that medical students learn human anatomy by dissecting the human body and till date there could be no substitute for it. So with body donation, society gets in return advanced therapeutic procedures based on study & research on human body. Dr Pakhmode, a retired Veterinary surgeon from Bhandara, expressed about his elder brother’s body donation that every citizen should join in the awareness campaign for body donation.

Speaking on this occasion, Dr. Manish Shrigiriwar, highlighted the need of regular body donations for undergraduate batches and wished that the number of cadavers available for study increases in coming days to surpass the present deficiency.

In his presidential address Dr. Prashant Joshi appreciated the way International Anatomy Day was being celebrated by felicitation of donor families and emphasized the need to spread awareness about body donation in society.

The prizes of Rangoli competition were also distributed on this occasion. Dr Kirubhanand proposed the vote of thanks. Dr Shital Maske coordinated the ceremony. The program concluded with tree plantation in the memory of the donors, followed by refreshments.