Two Brain Dead Donors at Fortis Mohali Gift Life to 10 Terminally ill Patients

Chandigarh, April 19, 2024: In a remarkable demonstration of compassion as well as clinical excellence, Doctors at Fortis Hospital, Mohali successfully transplanted the kidneys of two brain dead donors who had passed away due to brain hemorrhage. The recipients were two patients with kidney failure, a 66-year-old male from Chandigarh and a 48-year-old female teacher from Karnal who received one kidney each from both the donors. The Organ Transplant team comprising of Dr Sunil Kumar, Dr Sahil Rally, Dr Milind Mandwar, Dr Amit Nagpal, Dr Jasmeet Kaur, Dr Anjana Sharma, Dr Amit Sharma and Dr Anna Gupta performed the transplant surgeries, and the two patients were discharged with normal kidney functions and are off dialysis now.

Amidst profound sorrow and grief, the families of the deceased displayed immense generosity by consenting to donate their loved ones’ kidneys for transplantation. The donors were a 65-year-old male patient from Chandigarh and a 59-year-old woman from Leh-Ladakh, whose families decided to give the “Ultimate Gift- the Gift of Life” to 10 terminally ill patients, who needed four kidney transplants, two liver transplants, and four corneal transplants. The entire process of multi organ retrieval surgery took around 14 hours and a green corridor was created between Mohali to Ludhiana, Mohali to Jaipur and Mohali to Delhi to facilitate the transport of kidneys, livers and corneas respectively.

Two more kidneys were transplanted at Aykai Hospital, Ludhiana, which was allocated by the Organ Allocation Policy of SOTTO (State Organ and Tissue Transplantation Organization), under the aegis of ROTTO (regional) and NOTTO (national), that manages organ donation processes in the state. Two livers were transplanted at Aakash Healthcare Super Specialty Hospital, New Delhi, and Mahatma Gandhi Hospital, Jaipur. Four corneas were sent to PGIMER, Chandigarh, where they were successfully transplanted into 4 different patients. This was facilitated by Dr Gagneen Kaur, Nodal Officer, SOTTO, Punjab.

A joint press conference on organ donation was conducted by a team of doctors from Fortis Hospital Mohali along with representatives of AIIMS Mohali and SOTTO, Punjab. The team comprised Prof Dr Mukut Minz, Director, Kidney Transplant; Dr VK Khosla, Director, Neurosurgery; Prof Ashis Pathak, Director, Neuro Surgery; Dr HS Gill, Director, Nephrology; Dr Arvind Sahni, Director, Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Dr HS Mann, Director, Neurology; Dr Harsimrat Bir Singh Sodhi, Senior Consultant, Neuro-Spine Surgery; Dr Sanchita Garg and Dr Abhishek Biswas, Consultants, Critical Care; Dr Vikramjit Singh, Medical Director, Fortis Mohali; and Dr Akashdeep Aggarwal, Joint Director, Medical Education & Research.

Issuing a joint statement, the team of doctors stated, “We salute the deceased donors and their families for valuing organ donation and giving life to those in need. The seamless teamwork of dedicated doctors, supported by the regional and state authorities, along with the police, made this life-saving donation possible. Let this heartwarming story inspire more people to register for organ donation and make a difference.”

Lauding the efforts of the families, Dr Vikramjit Singh, Medical Director, Fortis Mohali, said, “This is an inspiring, selfless act on the part of the families to have given their consent for organ donation. Fortis Hospital Mohali is a centre of excellence and is the first-of-its-kind in Punjab to carry out multi-organ retrieval surgeries and transplants. It has become a pioneer in transplant surgeries in the region and also provides hope for patients awaiting transplants in North India.”

According to NOTTO (National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization), once a patient is declared brain dead, the hospital can counsel the family on organ donation. NOTTO protocol and guidelines stipulate that the treating hospital gives all details and obtains necessary clearances on a possible organ donation. It is estimated that almost 5 lakh Indians face organ failure every year and only 2-3 percent receive a life-saving transplant. As per data available with NOTTO, in 2022, 11 cadaver donations have been done with successful retrieval of 30 organs in Delhi. Every year, hundreds of people die in India, waiting for an organ transplant. Due to lack of awareness and misconceptions, there is a shortage of organ donors, and with each passing year, the gap between the number of organs donated and the people waiting for transplant, is growing wider. Fortis Hospital Mohali facilitates organ donation registration for various organs and adheres to stringent guidelines for recipient evaluation and registration through NOTTO. The Organ Donation registration process is managed by Transplant Coordinator who can be contacted at 9646667052 for further information.