Brain dead patient, road accident victim turn saviours for 8
A brain dead patient and a fatal accident victim at the PGIMER turned saviour for eight terminally ill, organ failure patients over a span of two days. The extraordinary act of kindness was facilitated by four green corridors.
While the organs were airlifted from one city to another, the green corridors came handy to shift organs from the PGI to the infirmaries where these were transplanted. Green corridors were created from the PGIMER to the Chandigarh International Airport, from Rajiv Gandhi International Airport, Secunderabad, to KIMS Hospital and one each from the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi to Medanta Hospital, Gurugram, and the ILBS, New Delhi.
On October 22, a 24-year-old road accident victim’s organs were donated by his kin, offering a hope of life to others. A simultaneous kidney-pancreas and a kidney were transplanted at the PGIMER, saving two more lives locally.
As there were no matching recipients for the heart, lungs, and liver at the hospital, the Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO), PGIMER, swiftly acted to allocate the organs across other hospitals via their apex body, National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO). The heart was airlifted to Medanta Hospital for a 68-year-old male patient. The lungs were sent to the KIMS Hospital in Secunderabad to be implanted in a 32-year-old male recipient and the liver was flown to the ILBS in New Delhi for a 31-year-old male patient. In all, the youth saved a total of five lives in his death.
A day earlier, the family of an 18-year-old boy, who was declared brain dead at the PGIMER, agreed to donate his organs. The decision helped in saving three lives. While the liver was allocated to a 42-year-old male patient at the ILBS, New Delhi, a simultaneous kidney-pancreas and a kidney were successfully transplanted at the PGIMER, saving the lives of a 30-year-old woman and a 37-year-old male patient, respectively.
The father of one of the donors, embodying strength in their grief, said, “In our son’s memory, we wanted to give others a chance at life.” The sentiment was echoed by the other donor’s mother as she said, “Our pain will always remain, but knowing that he lives on in others brings us some peace.”
Prof Vipin Koushal, Medical Superintendent and Nodal Officer, ROTTO North, PGIMER, praised the coordinated efforts. He stated, “We are deeply thankful to the families for their noble gesture, and to the Chandigarh Traffic Police for their unwavering support in making these green corridors possible. Only teamwork makes organ donation a reality. Over the two days, four green corridors were established to ensure timely transportation of organs, showcasing an exceptionally well-coordinated effort by each one involved, which is vital for the success of organ transplantation.”
