While Chennai was asleep on Tuesday night, a 45-year-old man, who was declared brain dead at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (GH), brought back hope into the lives of four ailing persons.
His organs — heart, liver and kidneys — were harvested and transplanted to four others. In fact, this cadaver donation was the second one within 10 days at GH. The traffic police created a green corridor to take the heart to Frontier Lifeline Hospital and the organ was delivered in ten minutes.
The donor, who was working as a watchman at a school, sustained a head injury after he fell into a well near his home in Tambaram. His wife had died five years ago and the couple had two girls, studying in classes VI and VIII. He was declared brain dead on Tuesday.
Officials said the elder brother and a few other family members were counselled on donating his organs. “As soon as they gave their consent, the cadaver transplant programme office was informed, and the organs were allocated as per the waitlist of registered persons,” said an official.
The liver was allocated to MIOT Hospitals, the heart to Frontier Lifeline and the two kidneys transplanted to patients admitted to GH.
A traffic police officer said an ambulance carrying the heart, along with two police patrol vehicles, cut through 21 signals that were closed temporarily to enable the vehicles to reach Frontier Lifeline quickly. S. Sivanantham, deputy commissioner-traffic (plan) led the team.
GH dean R. Vimala said the kidney transplantation began on Tuesday night at GH, and was completed close to early morning on Wednesday.
