The World Heart Day observance (September 29) in the State assumes special significance this year as Subramania Bhat, 50, of Tripunithura, a critically ill heart patient, was given a new lease of life on Thursday by a Naval officer in Kochi, Atul Kumar Pawar.
Lt. Pawar (24), who had been seriously injured in a road accident at Chalakkudy on September 24 and was under treatment at Aster Medicity hospital, Kochi, was declared brain-dead on Wednesday.
With his parents and family coming forward for organ donation, not just Bhat, three other chronically ill persons who were awaiting new organs, are being given a new chance at life. The heart, liver, and two kidneys of the officer have been found suitable for donation.
The liver and one of the kidneys were donated to patients awaiting transplant at Aster Medicity, on the priority list of patients registered under the State government’s deceased donor organ donation programme, Mrithasanjeevani. The other kidney was donated to a patient in Naval hospital, Bengaluru, registered under National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation.
An official statement said that the brain death certification process had been done in a fool-proof manner by following all international protocols. Kottayam Government Medical College hospital, the only public sector hospital in the State equipped to perform heart transplants, was in charge of harvesting and transplanting the heart of Atul Kumar in Mr. Bhat.
Traffic arrangements were made by the police and the district administrations of Kottayam and Ernakulam for the team of doctors led by T.K. Jayakumar to travel to Kochi and back with the harvested organ.