45-yr-old organ donor saves 5 lives

A 45-year-old man died due to critical illness at a hospital here but has helped save the lives of five other persons when his liver, pancreas, kidneys and corneas were donated.
The donor, Ashok Kumar had decided to donate his organs after his death.
Kumar, a native of Barnala in Punjab, was admitted to PGIMER on December 8 in a critical condition at emergency neurosurgery ward.
"Despite best of efforts by the team of experts, the patient could not be saved and was declared brain-dead," a PGIMER release said today.
After he passed away, his family gave consent to donate his organs, enabling doctors here to save lives of needy patients through successful transplantations.

"After fulfilling all the necessary procedures under Transplant of Human Organs Act, the organs were harvested and immediately utilised for the helpless and needy patients resulting in saving lives," it said.

The hospital lauded the courage and compassion shown by Kumar's family as even after suffering irreparable loss, the family volunteered to donate organs.
Every month, about 10-15 "brain-dead" patients report to PGIMER, but inspite of efforts to motivate the next of kin of brain dead patient, very few come forward to donate organs, it said.
"The waiting list for cornea is 8000, kidney is 500, liver is 50 and for the heart it is 5," the release further added.