NEW DELHI: A heart harvested from a 55-year-old woman at AIIMS was transported to a leading private hospital, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), via a green corridor in a span of 14 minutes on Tuesday during heavy traffic hours, doctors said on Tuesday. A 19-year-old boy at Fortis Escorts Heart Institute (FEHI), Okhla, was undergoing a heart transplant surgery for the organ donated by the old woman, they said.
It was a rare humane gesture where a vegetable seller convinced his family to donate the organs of his brain-dead mother-in-law which was later harvested by the doctors. A team of doctors were alerted by National Organ Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) about a possible cadaveric heart donor (brain dead) at AIIMS Delhi on Tuesday, the private hospital said.
The team of doctors retrieved the live donor heart and the organ was transported from AIIMS to FEHI, covering a distance of 9.2 km during peak traffic time in 14 minutes, doctors said. The young recipient was having a heart problem for last 1.5 years. His condition reached a critical condition and was on medicines since then, they said. The doctors praised the vegetable seller, Kishan, for counselling the grieving family who lost their family member on August 29 after sustaining a head injury.
Kishan had a similar situation six years ago when his mother died of a similar condition caused by a head injury in a road accident. He then also convinced his family to donate his mother’s organ to serve the needy ones, doctors said.
“I lost my mother to an accident in Lucknow. Back then, the doctors had approached me for organ donation and I convinced my family to donate her organs. Over the years, I’ve felt happy that my mother has saved many lives even in her demise. Today, I lost my mother-in-law but I encouraged my family to donate her organs,” said Kishan.
Dr Aarti Vij, Head, ORBO (AIIMS), said the awareness about organ donation with motivation from Kishan has been instrumental. “This once again underlines the awareness activities regarding organ and tissue donation,” she added.
Veg vendor convinces family for organ donation
It was a rare humane gesture where a vegetable seller convinced his family to donate the organs of his brain-dead mother-in-law which was later harvested by the doctors. A team of doctors were alerted by National Organ Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) about a possible cadaveric heart donor (brain dead) at AIIMS Delhi on Tuesday, the private hospital said. The young recipient was having a heart problem for last 1.5 years.