Sixty-seven-year-old Darshana Arora died on March 14. And according to her wish, Ms. Arora’s family donated her body to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Tuesday for medical research and study.
“We received 67-year-old Darshana Arora’s body on Tuesday morning,” said a senior official at AIIMS. He added that the family had already donated her cornea, which was retrieved immediately after her death.
According to the deceased’s son Umesh Arora, “My mother was deeply moved by my wife’s belief in organ and body donation. My family is very traditional, so this is a very bold step for us. My mother pledged her body through Dadhichi Deh Daan Samiti, a non-government organisation, which works in the area of body/organ donations.”
Umesh and his wife Anshu have also pledged their body and organs. Darshana Arora’s donation is the 100{+t}{+h}body that has been given through the organisation.
Ms. Arora’s daughter-in-law said: “My mother-in-law stays with us. She had high blood pressure and high sugar level. She also suffered from chronic bronchitis. On the day she died, we had gone to Chandigarh. She was alone at home.’’
Ms. Arora was very active in religious activities and her two daughters feared the worst when they did not hear from her on March 14. “The police found her dead in the house and she was rushed to a government hospital where she was declared dead on arrival. Her post-mortem was waived off because of her wish to donate her body. And after the paper work was completed, her body was handed over to AIIMS on Tuesday,’’ said Anshu.
Though AIIMS is an exception, most medical colleges across the country face ‘body crunch’.
“Whole body donation is very useful for medical research. This year, AIIMS Department of Anatomy received seven bodies in the past three months. Other colleges face a severe shortage due to the belief against such donation. Hopefully, these donations and awareness created through them will change things for the better,” said an AIIMS official.
