Pics: Dayanand Kukkaje/Umesh Marpalli
Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi/Mangaluru (HB/UM)
Updated
Udupi/Mangaluru, Mar 22: In a laudable gesture, the family of a brain-dead youth who met with an accident recently decided to donate his organs.
For the first time in the medical history of the coastal region, a green corridor is being created from Manipal to Mangaluru airport at Bajpe for the purpose of transporting the organs to Bengaluru via Jet Airways flight. This is also the first such organ donation procedure in Udupi district.
Mangaluru airport
KMC Hospital, Manipal
The donor, Purushottam Naik (30) of Talagodu, Bhatkal, met with an accident on March 14. A fisherman by profession, Naik was returning home, when, at around 8.30 pm, his bike collided with a goods auto rickshaw at Mavinakurve in Bhatkal. It is said that preparations were going on for a temple programme and halogen lamps had been placed. Due to the intense light Purushottam reportedly failed to notice the goods tempo and rammed into it head-on.
Purushottam who suffered serious head injuries was then admitted to KMC Hospital in Manipal. He slipped into a coma and the doctors gave little hope of recovery. He was declared brain-dead on March 21.
On the doctors' advice, Purushottam's family members agreed to donate his liver, kidneys and heart valves. They had planned to donate his eyes too, but due to the injury, the eyes too suffered damage and the doctors advised against their donation.
Among the organs donated, one of the kidneys will be transplanted to a patient in Manipal hospital, while another kidney will be taken to either Yenepoya Hospital or AJ Hospital in Mangaluru, depending on their requirement, and the heart valves and the liver to Columbia Asia Hospital in Bengaluru.
As per the arrangements done, the organs were removed and the heart valves and the liver taken to Bajpe airport at around 7.20 pm via Mulky. At 8.30 pm, the organs will be taken to Bengaluru via Jet Airways flight. One of the kidneys will be transported to Yenepoya Hospital or AJ Hospital separately the same evening.
Addressing a press meet here, doctors of KMC Hospital said that a team from Zonal Coordination Committee of Karnataka for Transplantation (ZCCKT), Bengaluru has arrived in Bengaluru for the purpose, along with Organ Retrieval Committee led by Dr Suman.
Dr (Col) M Dayananda, medical superintendent and COO, KMC Manipal said, "We are pleased to coordinate this entire exercise of organ donation from brain-dead patient and transplantation to needy patients which will lead to saving a few lives. The DC of Udupi R Vishal has been very proactive in his approach to initiate the programme of organ donation in Udupi district. The support from SPs Annamalai of Udupi and Dr Sharanappa of Dakshina Kannada made the transportation, especially the green corridor arrangements and other logistics arrangements to take place in a time bound manner. The Airport Authority of India has offered all possible assistance for the smooth passage and transit of the team and the organs."
Deputy commmissioner R Vishal said that suggested that as the family had donated the youth's organs, their hospital bill should be waived. The family has already paid Rs 38,000 out of the Rs 1,10,000 bill amount, and as per the DC's request, the hospital agreed to waive off the remaining amount of around Rs 72,000.
The DC also suggested the hospital to establish an eye bank which would help in organ donation in the future. He also urged people to go for accident insurance, as Purushottam had none.
Speaking to daijiworld, Mangaluru traffic ACP Uday Nayak said that a green corridor with zero traffic would be created later in the evening from Mulky to Mangaluru airport coming under his jurisdiction. The zero traffic from Manipal to Mangaluru airport will last for about 50 minutes.
Purushottam is survived by his parents and six siblings including one sister. Sources said that he was a Congress worker in Bhatkal.