Mumbai: After a gap of two years, the city has witnessed an organ donation from a public hospital this week.
Parel’s KEM Hospital facilitated the cadaver donation of a 52-year-old man whose liver saved the life of a Satara man.
In an otherwise growing organ donation programme, the contribution of public hospitals has been lacking in the city.
In 2019, for instance, out of the record number of 79 donations, not one came from a public hospital.
In fact, the last time public hospitals contributed to a handful of donations was in 2017 when J J Hospital facilitated two and Sion one.
KEM Hospital had last recorded a donation in May 2016.
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The recent donor was admitted to the hospital with a history of fall. Subsequently, he was diagnosed as having suffered a stroke.
Dean Dr Hemant Deshmukh said the patient was declared brain dead after two apnea tests on Monday.
“The family willingly consented to donate his organs. Due to certain blood parameters, his kidneys were not considered suitable for donation by the kidney committee of the Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC),” he said.
The liver was allotted to Apollo Hospital, where the organ was transplanted into a Satara man. “We have restarted the program after over two years.
The family has also expressed their desire to assist in spreading awareness about organ donation,” he said.
Experts say the reasons for failure to convert brain deaths into successful donations in public hospitals range from inability to carry out timely apnea tests within six hours, finding doctors to complete the brain death certification process to maintaining the donor.
“Lack of awareness among the clientele coming to public hospitals is also an issue. But the situation is changing fast,” said a social worker.
He added that awareness drives by the state’s medical education department have managed to make people aware of the concept of organ donation.
Dr S Mathur, president of ZTCC that distributes cadaver organs, said they have provided a transplant coordinator to handhold KEM with paperwork and other processes.
“We believe the participation of public hospitals will grow. We will provide them with whatever support we can” said Mathur and added this month has seen seven donations in the city.
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