A 69-year-old resident of Haridevpur in the southern fringes of the city has given a new lease of life to several ailing persons, who received his heart, kidneys, liver and corneas after he was declared brain dead. On 10 February, Haridas Roy was admitted to AMRI Hospital Mukundapur with a severe brain injury, following a traumatic road traffic accident the previous day.

Although Mr Roy succumbed to his injuries, his organs, donated by his grieving family, are giving six people a fresh lease of life. The cadaver organ transplantation is a first for AMRI Hospitals’ Mukundapur unit. Roy was admitted under neurosurgeon Dr D.K. Pradhan after he was badly injured in an accident, and underwent critical surgical intervention.

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Despite intensive medical efforts, his condition deteriorated rapidly, and by 12 February the prognosis was bleak. Roy’s family chose to honour his legacy through organ donation. The hospital authorities thereafter activated a Brain Death Committee to formally assess Mr Roy’s condition. Following rigorous evaluation, including apnoea tests conducted on 12 and 13 February, the committee confirmed brain death, paving the way for organ retrieval. The hospital, with the family’s consent, and in coordination with the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), facilitated the extraction and distribution of Roy’s organs to recipients in need. One of the kidneys went to a 50-year-old man at SSKM Hospital and the other to a 27-year-old woman at AMRI Mukundapur.

While Roy’s liver was transplanted to a 42-year-old man at SSKM Hospital, his heart went to RN Tagore Hospital. His corneas went to the eye bank of Sankara Nethralaya. Senior nephrologist Dr Rohit Rungta at AMRI Mukundapur played a major role in the successful transplantation process, collaborating with the teams from the other hospitals to ensure seamless transfer of organs to designated recipients.

“The hospital is deeply grateful for the compassion demonstrated by Mr Roy’s family during this challenging time and extends its heartfelt appreciation to all medical professionals involved in facilitating this lifesaving act. The selflessness displayed by his family serves as a beacon of hope, highlighting the transformative impact of organ donation in Kolkata and beyond,” Dr Rungta said.