In a first, organs transplanted through 'green corridor' in Kolkata

For the first time in Kolkata's and West Bengal's history, a green corridor was provided for 12 km for transplantation of kidneys, liver and cornea of a brain dead Class XII student.
Image for representational purpose only.
Image for representational purpose only.

KOLKATA: Chennai shows the path to Kolkata. For the first time in Kolkata's and West Bengal's history, a green corridor was provided for 12 km for transplantation of kidneys, liver and cornea of a brain dead Class XII student in the wee hours of Friday morning. Swarnendu Roy, 18, was declared brain dead in a private hospital here on Thursday afternoon.

He sustained seriously injuries to the head after colliding with a motorbike while returning home from private tuition in Basirhat near the Bangladesh border on Sunday evening. He was first admitted to Basirhat government hospital and later shifted to Kolkata. Soon after declaration of his son's brain death, Swarnendu's father Chandrasekhar Roy requested that his son's organs be donated and requested for green corridor, or all signals kept green for passage of ambulance, for transplantation.

The hospital authorities contacted the Health department who contacted Kolkata Police and soon permission was secured from the Chief Minister herself, who was in a tour of Jangalmahal in western West Bengal. "I did not do any great 'social work'. I just wanted my son to live in other bodies," Chandrasekhar Roy said. "He was talented.

His talent would have benefited humanity. I never imagined that he would benefit people like this at such a tender age," said a sobbing Chandrasekhar. The transportation of the kidneys to a government hospital was completed by 1 am and liver to the same hospital by 2.30 am. A police pilot car led the convoy of the ambulance that witnessed green signals in the already thin traffic through Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, Chingrihata, Ma flyover to Park Circus and finally to AJC Bose Road and into SSKM government hospital within 14 minutes.

The kidneys were transplanted to Rubi Sardar of Uttarpara and Niloufer Aara of Kamarhati and liver transplanted to Sanjukta Mondal of Salkia in Howrah district, who has been suffering from liver cirrhosis since 2009. The three separate transplantations were done by Friday afternoon. Condition of the three recipients is stable.

Eyes of Swarnendu have been sent to an eye hospital. Green corridor was invented by Chennai Police in 2008 during transplantation of Kancheepuram resident Hithendra Subramani to Chennai. He lives among five people. A 2016 Bollywood flick 'Traffic' was loosely based on one of the green corridor transplantations in Tamil Nadu.

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