First brain-dead declaration at a govt. hospital

This will come as relief for patients who cannot afford transplantation surgeries at corporate hospitals

In a major boost to the Cadaver Transplantation Scheme in teaching hospitals, doctors of Osmania General Hospital (OGH) have for the first time in its history, declared a patient to be brain-dead. A kidney of the deceased was transplanted at OGH while the liver was sent to Apollo Hospitals under the State-run Jeevandan programme.

The ‘brain-dead’ declaration at government hospitals will come as relief for needy patients who cannot afford transplantation surgeries at corporate hospitals. OGH doctors said the declaration was done under provisions of the ‘Jeevandan’ organ donation programme.

Till recently, government teaching hospitals including Gandhi and Osmania hospitals and NIMS would not declare patients to be brain-dead. This is despite the fact that government hospitals have a huge potential to provide a large number of cadaver organs because of a higher number of trauma cases.

“Cadaver organ donation is the only way to meet the needs of patients. Government hospitals receive the maximum number of trauma cases but hardly anybody declares patients [to be] brain-dead. Brain-dead declarations will provide a ray of hope to poor patients,” a doctor said.

There are currently over 100 patients who have registered with OGH for organ donation. Surgeons pointed out that the disease burden in the State for end-stage kidney ailments is high. For the past few years, senior surgeons and ‘Jeevandan’ officials have been working on the procedures and training aspect on brain dead declaration.

The doctors had undertaken a study of the implementation of the ‘Jeevandan’ scheme in Tamil Nadu. According to rules, government hospitals that declare patients brain dead will have the first right over the organs that have been retrieved.