With a steep drop in road traffic deaths due to consecutive lockdowns induced by COVID-19, the need to look at non-medico-legal deaths for organ donation has arisen, say organ transplant specialists.
R. Kanthimathi, member secretary, Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu, who participated in an event organised by MGM Healthcare to commemorate the 12th Indian Organ Donation Day on Friday, lauded the hospital’s effort in performing transplants even during the pandemic. November 27 is celebrated as Organ Donation Day.
Dr. Kanthimathi said deaths due to road traffic accidents (RTA)’ had fallen by 54% and this has resulted a drop in transplants. Currently, non-medico legal deaths account for less than 2% of the transplants, she said, calling for more awareness programmes.
In its first year of functioning, the hospital had performed six kidney transplants, 10 liver transplants and 45 heart and lung transplants each. “In the second year, we have successfully achieved 29 kidney transplants, 29 liver transplants, 53 heart and lung transplants each.
We are also looking to kick-start corneal transplants at the earliest,” said J. Amalorpavanathan, head, transplant process and senior consultant at department of vascular surgery..
K.R. Balakrishnan, director of Cardiac Sciences, said the successful transplant on a patient having COVID-19, was published in the international medical journal Lancet.
Suresh Rao, co-director of the Institute of Heart and Lung Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support, signed the pledge to encourage organ donation.
On the occasion, the transplant surgeons also recalled the donors’ altruistic sacrifice and the recipients’ gratitude for the donation.
Those who participated at the event included Thiagarajan Srinivasan, senior consultant and director, Institute of Liver Diseases, Transplant and HPB surgery; Georgie Abraham, senior consultant, Department of Nephrology; Chandrasekaran Venkataraman, director and clinical lead, Institute of Renal Sciences and Kidney Transplant and Sudharsan SB, consultant at the department of Urology.
