Organs of doc’s brain-dead sis likely to save four lives
Times of India | 9 March 2024
Kolkata: Organs of a doctor’s elder sister are set to save the lives of at least four in Kolkata – two women and two men - after the 54-year-old’s family decided to donate all her organs following her brain death.The donor’s heart, two kidneys and liver were being retrieved on Friday at the time of filing of this report. Transplant will be done across four hospitals in Kolkata through Friday night.This is the third deceased organ donation in the city this year.
According to sources, the donor—Prapti Roychowdhury (54) — was being treated at ILS Hospital Dum Dum for subarachnoid haemorrhage, which leads to bleeding in the space between the brain and the surrounding membrane. The Dum Dum resident was declared brain dead on Friday. The deceased’s younger brother — a nephologist and renal transplant surgeon — Pratim Sengupta, who is also attached to the hospital, broached up the issue of donating all viable organs, with the family. Once consented, the hospital informed ROTTO (east) officials.
On assessing her organs, doctors found that her heart, liver and both kidneys were fit for transplant. Accordingly, ROTTO (East) allocated the heart to RN Tagore International Institute of Cardiac Sciences and the liver to IPGMER (SSKM). While ILS Dum Dum was allowed to retain one of the kidneys, the other one was allocated to IPGMER.
“On this auspicious day of Shiva Ratri and International Women’s Day, my sister left us with an exemplary gesture of gifting life to others,” said Sengupta.
Despite the loss, Sengupta—who had been actively engaged in organ donation movement and a part of Bengal Organ Donation Society (BODS)—was involved in the retrieval of the deceased’s organs and the renal transplant at ILS Dum Dum. “We are thankful to him (Sengupta) for walking the talk by convincing his family for the donation,” said VM Swamy of BODS. The donor’s Cornea went to Disha Eye Hospital and her skin has been banked at IPGMER.