THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Even in death, television actor, theatre artiste and dubbing artist Sreemurugan, popularly known as Murugan Panavila, gave a lease of life to five people through organ donation, turning a family’s moment of profound grief into one of hope.
The 46-year-old, a native of Panavila House at Chempazhanthy, suffered a massive brain haemorrhage while rehearsing for a stage performance in Vadakara, Kozhikode, on July 21. He was rushed to a private hospital in Kozhikode and later shifted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram.
Brain death was declared at 2.25pm on July 25, after which his family consented to donate his organs. His liver was successfully transplanted into a patient at KIMSHEALTH, while his heart valve was donated to the Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology. His two corneas were sent to the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, and his skin was donated to the Skin Bank at the Government Medical College Hospital.
Health Minister K Muraleedharan expressed condolences to Sreemurugan’s family and praised their decision to donate his organs despite their personal loss.
Best known for his portrayal of C I Joseph in the television serial ‘Manjil Virinja Poovu,’ Sreemurugan was a familiar face in Kerala’s cultural circuit.