KOCHI: Like any ordinary girl growing up in Keralam, Agimol Pradeep had a dream: build a career and contribute to family’s financial well-being. Being someone who loved caregiving, Agimol opted for nursing, a decision that not only brought her recognition but also a chance to transform the lives of many.
After completing Pre-degree, Agimol — belonging to Kottayam — decided to pursue a course in general nursing and migrated to the UK in 2001. During her master’s course, while working with the National Health Service there, Agimol was assigned to meet patients awaiting kidney transplant. One of the patients she met then, a South Asian man, expressed his frustration at having waited three years for a transplant.
“When I investigated the matter through my superiors, I came to know that for a South Asian patient, the best match would generally be someone from same ethnic background. The lack of South Asian people willing to donate kidney was the cause for the delay. My superior urged me to make some efforts to find people who are willing to donate organs, which took me to Asian communities,” Agimol told TNIE. What began as an extension of her duty, became a milestone.
“I took it up as my dissertation for the postgraduate course and researched why people from Asian communities were reluctant to donate organs. Social stigma and religious beliefs were among the major reasons. We started talking about the need for voluntary organ donation, which gradually changed the perception,” she said.
The 46-year-old recently won the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award, carrying a cash prize of Rs 2.5 crore, for her contributions. Currently serving as a senior transplant coordinator with the King’s College Hospital and an honorary senior lecturer with the University of Salford, she plans to use the prize money to fund the social cause she stands for.
