TIRUNELVELI: With the family members of a 53-year-old brain-dead man donating his organs at Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) on Monday, TvMCH secured second place in organ harvesting in Tamil Nadu. While Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), Chennai, has harvested organs from 17 donors so far this year, TvMCH has managed to retrieve organs from 16.
Dr C Revathy Balan, TvMCH dean, said that when T Saravanan, a farmer from Alangulam in Tenkasi, was returning home from his farm on August 1, a tempo hit his two-wheeler, and he sustained severe head injuries. He was later given first aid at Alangulam Government Hospital and referred to TvMCH for further treatment. Despite treatment, his condition deteriorated, and on Sunday, he was declared brain-dead. As the doctors explained his condition to his relatives, they agreed to donate his organs, including his liver, kidneys, and corneas.
Sources said that after Saravanan's organs were retrieved, the hospital staff, led by Dr Revathy, paid respects to his body and handed it over to his relatives. Later, the officials from Tenkasi district administration paid tribute to Saravanan in Alangulam."
When TNIE contacted Dr N Gopalakrishnan, member secretary of Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN), he said that TvMCH had performed well in 2024 as well. TvMCH is almost close to RGGGH in organ retrieval, and though this institution is in the southern part of Tamil Nadu, it has motivated its peer institutions across the state. Most of the donors in TvMCH are from Tirunelveli and Tenkasi districts.
Sources said that most of the brain-dead patients across the state sustained a head injury while riding their two-wheelers.
A police official said, "A sizable portion of them were found not wearing helmets."