Delhi: Kidneys of poisoned girl save two; first in world
A 19-year-old girl's tragic suicide has given life to two patients who had been suffering from renal disorders in Delhi. This is perhaps for the first time in the world that organs have been harvested from a person who has suffered poisoning and cardiac death, according to Dr. Anup Kumar, Safdarjung's Professor and Head of Urology and Renal Transplantation. Read more!
19-year-old rushed to hospital in a serious condition
South Delhi's Chhattarpur resident Shakuntala consumed insecticide after a minor argument with her parents. The Class-12 student's parents rushed her to Safdarjung Hospital. Her condition was critical as the poison affected the blood supply to the brain. The doctors declared her "brain dead" the next day after which the hospital's transplant coordinators approached her parents; they gave their consent for organ donation.
Shakuntala gave patients a new lease of life: Dr. Kumar
One of the organ recipients, a 39-year-old woman, was suffering from renal failure for the last three years. Dr. Anup Kumar said the patient had been on dialysis for three years at Safdarjung. Without the kidney transplant, she would not have survived for more than two years. The second kidney transplant was done at the city's Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
Other organs
The girl's heart failed by the time AIIMS doctors came to harvest it. Her liver was affected by poison and was rendered useless. Shakuntala's father said he was proud she saved two lives, adding the police helped in speeding up the organ harvesting/transplanting process.
India has very low organ donation rate
In India, over two lakh people require organ transplant but less than 10% of them get it. The reason behind this is lack of courage and awareness of the potential donor's family. PM Narendra Modi urged people to donate organs in "Mann Ki Baat" in Oct'15. Health Minister JP Nadda said National Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organisation's website visitors increased after PM Modi's address.
Apollo Hospital Group Medical Director Dr. Anupam Sibal's statement
"Most people do not know about the concept of brain death or how retrieval of organs from such patients can help save lives. When they are told about it when their kin is brain dead, they react with shock. They often refuse to participate."
