TIRUNELVELI: Alleging the failure of a kidney transplant, the relatives of an 18-year-old recipient and his 39-year-old father-cum-donor, along with VCK members, staged a protest in front of the administrative block of Tirunelveli Medical College Hospital (TvMCH) on Monday.
K Gomathi, mother of the donor K Mareeswaran and grandmother of the recipient M Saravanakumar, claimed that the TvMCH doctors had asked her to take both of them to the government hospital in Sivakasi, her native town.
"Saravanakumar was diagnosed with renal issues at a hospital in Sivakasi. We took him to a private hospital in Madurai, where doctors recommended a kidney transplant. Since we could not afford the expenses at the private hospital, we shifted him to the TvMCH a few months ago. After conducting various tests, the doctors identified my son Mareeswaran as a suitable donor. He willingly offered his kidney to his son Saravanakumar," she said.
She further said the surgery was performed at the TvMCH on Thursday. "After the surgery, both my son and grandson were treated at the Intensive Care Unit. Two days later, I was informed that the transplant had failed and that the kidney was removed from Saravanakumar's body and discarded. The TvMCH administration should conduct a transplant with a fresh kidney and save both of them," she demanded.
Dean forms team for probe
TvMCH dean Dr C Revathy Balan held talks with the protesters, including the relatives, and assured proper treatment.
"A kidney was transplanted on Saravanakumar from a live donor, his father, by a team of urologists, nephrologists, vascular surgeons and anaesthetists.
The doctors observed urine output after the transplant. However, after the kidney rejection on Saturday, we informed the relatives of the situation. We have served a notice to the doctors concerned, seeking an explanation, and formed a team to inquire into the incident," the dean told media persons.
VCK district secretary M Muthuvalavan, who led the protest, said the TvMCH administration had promised to allocate a kidney to Saravanakumar based on seniority under the Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN).