IEP Chandigarh, September 30:
The life of Vikram, all of 18 years, came to an abrupt end as he was declared brain dead at PGIMER following a fatal head injury. But thanks to the selfless and magnanimous gesture of Organ Donation by his family, Vikram’s passing away has kindled hope for six lives. The donor family turned their gravest tragedy into a precious gift of life for four patients suffering from end-stage organ failure and battling for survival, one at Mumbai and three more at PGIMER Chandigarh. The retrieved corneas, on transplantation restored the sight of two corneal blind patients here at PGIMER. With this latest organ donation, PGIMER also marks 100 liver donations since inception of Liver transplant Programme in 2011 Out of these 100 deceased liver donations, 69 have been transplanted here in PGIMER and 31 livers have been shared with other hospitals across India for matching recipients. Prof. Vivek Lal, Director PGIMER, expressing PGIMER’s gratitude to the donor family, stated, “”Our mission at PGIMER is to honour the donor family’s decision, perhaps the hardest and incredibly moving one of their lives, of organ donation of their deceased dear one. Our hearts go out to donor families and we thank them for their gracious gift to others despite their own irreparable loss. At the same time, we at PGIMER feel humbled by the trust reposed by the donor families in the institute for their bravest decision.” The heart wrenching and tragic death of Vikram from Village Batta Kalyat, district Kaithal, Haryana is beyond comprehension and extremely difficult to reconcile with. It was on 23rd September, when Vikram was dragging his bike on the road as he had run out of petrol, when he was knocked down by a speeding auto rickshaw from behind, leaving him with grievous head injuries. Vikram was immediately rushed to the Civil Hospital Kaithal and then to some private hospital for initial treatment, from where he was referred to PGIMER and was admitted here in an extremely critical condition on the evening of 23rd September itself. But Vikram’s battle with life came to an end as he succumbed to his injuries and was declared brain dead on 25th September following the protocols of THOA. Showcasing exemplary courage and altruistic spirit, the family of Vikram did not let this tragic death go in vain and consented for organ donation when the transplant coordinators raised the matter with them. Gaje Singh, shell-shocked but brave-heart father of donor Vikram, expressed his sentiments as he consented for organ donation, “ Vikram was not only my son; he was the family’s life force. So caring and compassionate he was that even at this young age, he was working very hard in the factory to contribute to the family income. May be Almighty also needed this ‘noble soul’. Nobody can understand our remorse; we are completely devastated.” Respecting the family’s decision, the Lungs, Pancreas, Kidneys and Corneas were retrieved from the deceased. Once the donor organs became available, everyone swiftly got into action leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the donor’s legacy continues. Prof. Vipin Koushal, Medical Superintendent cum Head, Deptt. of Hospital Administration, PGIMER and Nodal Officer, ROTTO (North), while detailing about the latest case, said, “As the cross-matching indicated no matching recipient for lungs here in PGIMER, we immediately got in touch with other transplant hospitals to explore options for matching recipients and finally, lungs were allocated for a matching recipient, a 66 year old male admitted in Sir H N Reliance Hospital, Mumbai with the active intervention of NOTTO” Elaborating about the Green Corridors created for the case, Prof. Koushal shared, “A Green Corridors was created on 25th September in conjunction with the retrieval timings from PGIMER to International Airport,Mohali around 11 am to enable safe passage for the transport of retrieved lungs for the onward Gofast Airlines flight to Mumbai scheduled at 11.30 am on 26th September. Prof. Koushal concluded, “With everyone pitching in, the procedural formalities, harvesting process as well as transportation of the organ was completed despite the time crunch. The credit is due to commendable efforts by PGIMER Security Deptt., Chandigarh & Mohali Police, CISF and Airport Staff on duty that we accomplished in making it on time through the green corridors.”
