April 27, 2021: The cadaver organ donation movement in the city got a shot in the arm amid the raging Covid-19 pandemic as the family members of the 64-year-old specialist in gynaecology and obstetrics, who was declared brain dead. Apollo Kolkata, rose above their grief to take the noble decision of donating his organs.
The rare AB blood group of the donor posed a challenge to Apollo and even ROTTO and NOTTO after the family consented to donate his organs as prospective recipients were hard to come by. Finally, his liver went to Artemis Hospital in Gurgaon, the two kidneys went to Command Hospital and RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences, the heart went to NH, Howrah, skin went to SSKM Hospital and the corneas to Disha.
Mr. Rana Dasgupta, CEO (Eastern Region), Apollo Hospitals Group, said: “The family of the donor deserves the compliments of the entire society for agreeing to donate his organs and make a telling difference in the lives of more than one terminally ill patient, especially in a pandemic situation. We thank the regional and national organ and tissue transplant organisations (ROTTO and NOTTO) for orchestrating the process. The State Health Department has been putting in relentless efforts to make the organ donation movement in the state gain momentum.”
The donor’s son, himself an orthopaedic surgeon, said: “My father always wanted to serve the people. That was his practice of religion. That’s why it was easy for me to take this decision."
The donor, a resident of New Town, was posted in Purba Medinipur District Hospital, where he incurred a head injury in an accident on Thursday on his way back after a round at the hospital. He was admitted at Apollo the next day after initial treatment at the Medinipur hospital. He was declared brain dead on Monday. The donor was an alumnus of Medical College, Kolkata and (MBBS) and SSKM (MD, G&O).
Working closely with the nodal officer for organ donation, department of health and family welfare and the Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO), the donor’s organs were successfully retrieved at Apollo on Tuesday.
The first cadaver organ donation in eastern India since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, had also happened at Apollo Kolkata on august 17, 2020.
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