Journalism of Courage
The government-run Sassoon hospital in Pune has performed its first organ donation since the beginning of the Covid pandemic as a 24-year-old accident victim’s liver and kidneys have been donated with the consent of his family members. This was als 45th donation carried out by Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre, Pune.
The man from Donde village in Khed tehsil of Pune district suffered a head injury in a road accident. On December 8, He was admitted to the Sassoon hospital, where he died later.
He was working as a labourer and the sole earning member of his family. He is survived by his wife, two children and parents, who are farm labourers. According to Aarti Gokhale, central coordinator, ZTCC Pune, it was a courageous decision by the man’s wife to give her consent to donate his organs.
As per the ZTCC allocation policy, the deceased man’s liver was allocated to Ruby Hall Clinic for transplant in a 66-year-old man. One kidney was sent to Deenanath Mangeshkar hospital for transplant in a 35-year-old woman while another was sent to Apollo hospital, Nashik, for transplant in a 50-year-old man. Recipients of the transplant are now stable, Gokhale added.
Before the pandemic, from 2016 to 2019, the Sassoon hospital donated organs of 11 donors. Five hearts were sent for transplant apart from 10 livers, 18 kidneys and 22 corneas.
