KOLKATA: The state government's drive for deceased donor organ transplants in Bengal has seen positive results with a rise in the collective awareness and a spurt in organ donation and transplant surgeries in Kolkata.
Working closely with the Nodal Officer for Organ Donation, Department of Health and the Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization (ROTTO), transplant surgeons at Apollo Gleneagles Hospital today carried out three major organ transplants simultaneously after retrieving the heart, liver and kidneys from a young male donor who had been declared brain dead on October 25 at the hospital.
The heart, liver and one kidney were transplanted into three recipients at Apollo Gleneagles, while the other kidney was sent to SSKM Hospital through a green corridor facilitated by the Kolkata Police.
The corneas were transplanted at Disha Eye Foundation.
With the heart, liver and a kidney were transplanted into three patients, the harvesting of the organs and the three transplants being performed simultaneously is a milestone for not only Apollo Gleneagles but for the State and the Region.
This is also the maiden Heart retrieval in the city.
The donor and recipients were all from Bengal.
The transplanted heart gave a second lease of life to a patient with refractory heart failure, while the liver was transplanted into a patient suffering from the end-stage liver disease.
The kidneys saved the lives of two patients with advanced kidney failure, one at Apollo Gleneagles and another at SSKM Hospital.
The Apollo Gleneagles team of doctors led by Dr Mahesh Kr Goenka (Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases), Dr Sushan Mukhopadhyay ( Cardiac Surgeon) and Dr Mohan Chand Seal ( Renal Transplant Surgeon ) worked tirelessly throughout the night to provide the recipients a new lease of life Rana Dasgupta, CEO, Apollo Gleneagles Hospital said, "Organ donation and transplants in Bengal have received a major boost from the Government, and the Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) working in tandem with private hospitals.
The night of October 25 saw the family of a young boy who was declared brain dead, come forward to donating his organs in a laudatory gesture.
"Three organ transplants of heart, liver and a kidney led to the morning of October 26 dawning with new life for three patients at Apollo Gleneagles who were suffering from end-stage organ diseases.
We are glad for this opportunity to give a second chance at life to the recipients and are happy that the transplants surgeries were uneventful.
At the same time, the knowledge that the hope arises from a life that has been lost due to an unfortunate accident is a humbling thought and requires us to be very sensitive in our approach," he said.
"The first heart transplant at Apollo Gleneagles is an important milestone in our journey to provide the best of medical care in West Bengal.
Another highlight was the three transplant surgeries carried out in one night with three clinical teams working simultaneously.
We thank the Nodal Officer for Organ Donation, ROTTO officials, police authorities and Forensic Department of NRS Medical College for their support," Mr Dasgupta said.
Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, which has successfully conducted over 1000 solid organ transplants is part of the network of Apollo Transplant Institutes (ATI) and is approved to perform heart, kidney, liver and bone marrow transplants.