The Tamil Nadu government has helped to list Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh in a high priority category to enable an urgent liver transplant for saving his life, the head of the hospital that treated him said on Tuesday.
“The Chief Minister, the Health Minister and the Health Secretary made tremendous efforts to help in locating a suitable donor,” K. Ravindranath, chairman and managing director of Global Hospitals and Health City, Perumbakkam, told reporters here. Mr. Deshmukh was placed in the ‘super-urgent’ category so that he would get high priority for transplant.
“Unfortunately, for the last three days, when he was reasonably stable, we could not get any liver for transplantation,” Dr. Ravindranath said. Since Monday night, his health had started deteriorating fast. On Tuesday morning, his blood pressure and oxygen saturation began coming down.
“A full liver was available at the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in Chennai, but even before doctors from Global could retrieve it, the donor died of cardiac arrest,” Dr. Ravindranath said. Even on Tuesday, a donor from Maharashtra and two from Chennai were available, but it was too late.
A senior Health department official said when a person was listed as a priority patient for organ transplant, the government, through the Health Secretary, would have to provide a written directive to the Tamil Nadu Network for Organ Sharing, permitting the State transplant coordinator to bypass the waiting list.
According to an estimate, there are at least 20-30 patients waitlisted for donor livers. The coordinator said persons with B positive blood group could receive donor livers easily, whereas for those with AB groups, it was difficult to get a donor. Getting donors from other States, too, would have caused problems as they too had their own waitlist.
Tamil Nadu Health Minister V.S. Vijay and Principal Health Secretary Girija Vaidyanathan visited the hospital in the evening and conveyed condolences to Mr. Deshmukh’s family on behalf of the State government.
Tamil Nadu Governor K. Rosaiah and Chief Minister Jayalalithaa condoled the death of Mr. Deshmukh.
In a statement, Ms. Jayalalithaa said that as a member of the Rajya Sabha, representing Maharashtra, Mr. Deshmukh brought a quiet dignity to his role in the House. As Chief Minister, he steered Maharashtra with sagacity and maturity.
Mr. Rosaiah, in a letter to Vaishali Deshmukh, wife of the late leader, described Mr. Deshmukh as an able administrator who was known for his simplicity.
DMK president M. Karunanidhi sent a condolence telegram to Ms. Vaishali Deshmukh.
