Chikkamagaluru district hospital facilitates organ donation of 17-year-old brain-dead student

Rakshitha, a native of Somanahalli in Kadur taluk, suffered a head injury on September 18 after a fall while getting off a bus in Chikkamagaluru

The heart of Rakshitha was transported from Chikkamagaluru to Bengaluru by helicopter on September 22, 2022.

The vital organs of a 17-year-old brain-dead student, who had met with an accident, were harvested in Chikkamagaluru on September 22 and transported to Bengaluru, Manipal and Mangaluru.

A team of surgeons harvested the heart, kidneys, liver and corneas from the body. The heart was carried to Bengaluru by helicopter. The district administration and the police arranged for a green corridor to facilitate transportation of the organs.

Rakshitha, a native of Somanahalli in Kadur taluk, suffered a head injury on September 18 after falling while getting off a bus in Chikkamagaluru. The doctors who treated her at the district hospital declared her brain dead.

She was a PUC student at Basavanahallli in Chikkamagaluru. She is survived by her parents Shekhar Naik, Lakshmi Bai and a brother. The family members gave consent for organ donation after being convinced that she would not recover.

Lakshmi Bai said, “We took her to Shivamogga hoping that she would survive. But, the surgeon said she would not. We decided to donate her organs as they would help others in critical health conditions. If not physically with the family, our daughter will be alive somewhere else as her organs will be active.”

She wants conductors and drivers of buses to ensure the safety of their passengers. “My daughter died, and we are in pain. We cannot come out of this forever. I wish no parent goes through this pain,” she said.

Surgeons from Bengaluru and Mangaluru harvested the organs at the district hospital on September 22 morning, following the relevant guidelines.

Dr. C. Mohan Kumar, District Surgeon, told The Hindu that the heart, kidneys, liver and corneas had been harvested. “Heart has been sent to Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru. The kidneys and corneas were sent to KMC in Manipal, and liver to KMC in Mangaluru,” he said.

A team of 30 persons, including surgeons and support staff from various hospitals, were involved in the process.

The police cleared roads of traffic between the hospital and the helipad for free movement of the ambulance. Later, two ambulances carried the other organs to Mangaluru and Manipal. The police had created a green corridor along the route.