As per data provided by the institute, 2 lakh patients are in need of corneal transplantation but only 50,000 undergo the treatment.
In a span of 48 hours, two brain-dead patients at AIIMS breathed life into seven people as their families agreed to donate the organs. Two hearts, four kidneys, two livers, four corneas and bones were transplanted by teams of doctors at the country’s top medical institute.
Sachin (26), a native of UP’s Kasganj who worked as a daily wager in Delhi, fell from the second floor of a building and was brought to AIIMS on February 13. On February 15, he was declared brain-dead. Members of Organ Retrieval Banking Organisation at AIIMS counselled the grieving family, who decided to donate his heart, liver, kidneys and corneas. Anil Mittal (61), a resident of Delhi, was a pledged donor with the Dadhichi Deh Dan Samiti. He was declared brain dead at AIIMS.
As per data provided by the institute, 2 lakh patients are in need of corneal transplantation but only 50,000 undergo the treatment. Over 10,000 people require heart transplants whereas only 150-200 transplants are performed annually. “There is a huge gap between demand and supply of human organs and tissues. In India, around 1.5-2 lakh patients require kidney transplantation but only 7,500-8,000 patients receive it. Around 75,000-80,000 patients require liver transplants annually but only around 1,800 are performed,” said AIIMS director Dr Randeep Guleria.