PGIMER once again witnesses ‘Generosity beyond Words’
as another Little Girl becomes ‘Ray of Hope’ for 4 In-waiting Organ Failure Patients
With Transplantation of Heart at Mumbai & Liver at Delhi
Sent through Green Corridor
& Kidneys & Pancreas here at PGIMER
Chandigarh: 29th December: PGIMER once again witnessed an act of ‘Generosity beyond words’ as another little girl became a ray of hope for four in-waiting organ failure patients with her parents’ generous decision of organ donation amid their own grim tragedy. Those who got a second lease of life through transplantation as an outcome of this magnanimous gesture of organ donation included one recipient at Mumbai, one at Delhi, and two at PGIMER Chandigarh.
Prof. Surjeet Singh, Director PGIMER, expressing PGIMER’s indebtedness to the donor family, stated, “It is an extremely hard decision, but the donor families are a silver lining in the dark lives of organ failure patients. It is through their generous acts of organ donation that hundreds of people each year are given a second chance at life.”
The Director further shared, “At the same time, we cannot underestimate the commitment of the entire team of PGIMER involved in the process right from neurosurgeons, brain death certification committee, transplant coordinators, testing labs, treating doctors and especially intensivists who maintain the potential donor in the best condition for optimum usage of organs and transplant surgeons who save precious lives with their skill and synergy.”
It was an ill-fated day of 22nd December when a little girl, all of 5 years, became unconscious due to fall from a height and was rushed to a nearby civil hospital. However, due to a worsening prognosis, she was shifted to PGIMER in an extremely critical condition the same day.
But all the efforts of the family and friends could not deter the dark tragedy as the little girl’s week-long struggle between life and death came to a halt as she could not be revived and subsequently, after following the protocols as per THOA 1994 was declared brain dead.
When it became clear that the little girl would not come out of her precarious condition, the transplant coordinators at PGIMER approached the grief-stricken father, to request if he could consider organ donation. The resolute and brave heart father showcased immense grit and consented for organ donation.
The grief-stricken but brave-heart young father of a little girl wanted to keep his identity anonymous due to his personal sentiments, said “It’s something no family should have to go through. We said ‘yes’ to Organ Donation because we knew this could help someone else and they wouldn’t need to go through the heartache that we were going through. We knew it was the right thing to do.”
“We just want people to know about the cause and not who did it as we have done it so that our daughter re- lives through others. We have done it for our own peace and solace. We hope our daughter’s story will inspire families who find themselves in the same position. We want to aware people on organ donation to realize that death is not the end of things, people can live on through others, through this,” shared the young father maintaining his calm despite the grave tragedy.
Dr. Vipin Koushal, Addl. Medical Superintendent PGIMER and Nodal Officer, ROTTO (North), while detailing about the latest case, said, “Following the family’s consent, we retrieved heart, liver, kidneys and pancreas. Once the donor organs became available, everyone swiftly got into action leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the donor’s legacy continues. As the cross-matching indicated no matching recipient for heart and liver in PGIMER, we immediately got in touch with other transplant hospitals to explore options for matching recipients, and finally, the heart was allocated to a matching recipient admitted in a hospital in Mumbai and Liver was allocated for another matching recipient in a hospital located in Delhi with the intervention of NOTTO”
Elaborating about the Green Corridors created for the case, Dr. Koushal, shared, “To ensure safe and speedy transport of the harvested organs, two Green Corridors were created in conjunction with the retrieval timings from PGIMER to Technical AirPort Chandigarh at around 04.30 pm for the transportation of retrieved heart and at 4.40 pm for the transportation of retrieved liver for the onward flight to Mumbai and Delhi.”
Dr. Koushal further added, “It was literally a race against time. We had to complete all the procedural formalities, harvesting process as well as transportation of the organs. But commendable efforts by PGIMER Security Deptt., Chandigarh & Mohali Police, CISF and Airport Staff on duty that we accomplished in making it on time through the green corridor.
