Media Release
Udupi, Jun 26: A woman who was declared brain dead has given a new lease of life to seven persons through organ donation at Kasturba Hospital, Manipal here.
Nirmala Bhat, wife of Vasudev Bhat from Karkala met with an unfortunate road accident at Tellar road, Mathr Nivas near Ravalnath Temple, Karkala on June 22 at 7.30 pm and was referred to Kasturba Hospital, Manipal and was admitted in ICU on June 23 at around 1 am under the department of neurosurgery. On June 25 at 12:30 pm she was declared brain dead as per the protocol stipulated by the Transplantation of Human Organ Act 1994 by four senior doctors of the medical board. There was no chance that she would recover from this condition or regain her consciousness.
Her breathing was supported by the ventilator so as as to harvest organs for transplantation, namely two heart valves, both corneas, both kidneys and liver
Vasudev Bhat, her husband and family members expressed their willingness to donate the organs of Nirmala Bhat.
As decided by the Transplantation Authority, corneas and one kidney would be provided to patients admitted in Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. The liver harvested by surgeons from BGS Hospital, Bengaluru for the identified patient would be airlifted by helicopter from Kasturba Hospital, Manipal. Two heart valves would be used on a patient from Bengaluru, and one kidney for a patient in Mangaluru.
Dr Avinash Shetty, medical superintendent of the hospital said, "With this noble gesture of the family of Nirmala Bhat, 7 needy patients would receive extension of their lives through transplantation."