Brain dead patient’s organs give new lease of life to many, kin laud govt

Successful transplantation of the organs of a deceased youth at the SSKM Hospital has added another feather in the cap of Bengal’s health service.

Aiming to become the nation’s destination for health tourism, the state government has taken various steps, among which easy and affordable treatment at government-run hospitals is a key factor.

With the successful transplant of organs from a deceased person to ailing patients, state-run SSKM Hospital has set a precedent.

Officers of the state Health department, however, informed that this is not the first instance of 

successful organ transplant in Bengal.

Swarnendu Roy of Basirhat in North 24 Parganas had met with an accident on October 30 and slipped into coma on November 1, after being operated upon at the Apollo Gleneagles Hospital at Kolkata’s EM Bypass. Subsequently, doctors declared him brain dead.

Following this, his family decided to donate his vital organs to patients who might be waiting for transplantation.

Throughout the day, the Kolkata Traffic Police received plaudits from various quarters for arranging a ‘green corridor’ successfully in the wee hours of Friday, so as to ensure that the organs reach SSKM Hospital within 14 minutes from Apollo Gleneagles, through EM Bypass.

The swift action from the police reportedly came after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s direction.

This is first instance that a green corridor was introduced on Kolkata road, so as to ensure a smooth journey without hindrance of traffic.

Around 1 am, Swarnendu’s liver was transported to SSKM Hospital in an ambulance. Later, around 2.30 am, one of his kidneys was transported as well.

The ambulances took only 14 and 10 minutes, respectively, to cover the nearly 10 km distance between Apollo Gleneagles and SSKM.

Swarnendu’s liver was successfully transplanted into Sanjukta Mondal of Salkia in Howrah.

The process was completed around 12.10 pm.

The doctors also wasted no time in successfully transplanting Swarnendu’s kidney into Nilofer Ara of Kamarhati in Kolkata’s northern suburbs. Her own kidney had been removed after it became dysfunctional.

Swarnendu’s other kidney was transplanted into Ruby Sardar of Howrah’s Bally area, another woman who had been admitted at Apollo Gleneagles for the past few days for renal ailments.

All the three receivers were kept under observation to ward off any post-transplant complications. 

Swarnendu’s corneas were been sent to Disha Eye Hospital at Barrackpore and would be transplanted into someone suffering from corneal blindness.

Mrinal Sarkar, a relative of Swarnendu, said: “We discussed the matter with his father Chandrasekhar Roy. Now it would be better to give away his valuable organs so that Swarnendu could live within other people.”