ROTARY CAN PLAY A KEY ROLE IN PROMOTING ORGAN DONATION IN INDIA: ROTARIAN LAL GOEL
by Prashant Kapadia/NHN
Pune, March 15, 2026: Renowned organ donation advocate Rotarian Lal Goel, Founder and Charter President of the Rotary Club of Organ Donation International and Chairman of the Organ Donation India Foundation & GYAN, called on Rotary Clubs across the country to take a proactive role in promoting organ donation in India.
Rotarian Lal Goel addressed a meeting of the Rotary Club of Pune Central at the Poona Club on March 15.
Rotarian Lt. Col. Julius Rocque, Secretary (2026–27) of the club, introduced Rotarian Lal Goel as the Chief Guest and Keynote Speaker and highlighted his decades-long contribution to organ donation advocacy.
During his speech, Rotarian Lal Goel suggested three key areas where Rotary Clubs can make a significant impact: raising awareness in educational institutions, helping transplant patients access financial support from government schemes and NGOs, and supporting hospitals to develop Non-Transplant Organ Retrieval Centres (NTORC) in underserved areas.
Rotarian Lekha Nair, President of the Rotary Club of Pune Central, assured support for organ donation initiatives and expressed interest in collaborating with the Rotary Club of Organ Donation International to promote NTORCs in Rotary District 3131. She thanked Rotarians Lal Goel & Dr Vijaysingh Jagannathsingh Pardeshi for coming from Mumbai and Kalyan for the meeting.
Inspired by the speech, Past President Dr Anand Bhatia announced that the club would establish an Organ Donation Committee, while Rotary Ann Dr Madhu Rocque proposed organising several awareness programmes in schools and colleges in Pune.
Rotarian Lal Goel also provided detailed answers to several questions raised by members concerning organ donation, transplantation procedures, and society’s role in advocating this life-saving cause.
On the occasion, following Rotary tradition, Rotarian Lal Goel and Rotarian Lekha Nair exchanged the flags of their respective clubs.