Gift of life: Kerala Ayurveda doctor’s organs save 3 in Bhopal

Bhopal: The family of a 42-year-old Ayurveda practitioner from Kerala consented to cadaveric organ donation on Saturday, enabling three life-saving transplants in Bhopal.

The donor had been working in Bhopal for about six months. She was admitted to a private hospital around May 15 after a severe brain haemorrhage and was later declared brain-stem dead. After counselling, her family agreed to donate her organs.

One liver and one kidney were transplanted at the retrieval hospital, while a second kidney was allocated to another private hospital in Bhopal. The procedures were carried out under the supervision of the hospital’s transplant team and in compliance with NOTTO guidelines, said Gandhi Medical College (GMC) professor and organ donation nodal officer, Dr Kavita Kumar.

Dr SK Trivedi, director of Bansal Hospital where she was undergoing treatment, recalled asking the family if they had any preference for recipients. The husband, an IT manager based in Bengaluru, responded: “They should go to any human in need.” The organs were successfully transplanted into critically ill patients. Doctors hailed the act as “the greatest gift — the gift of saving a life.” NGOs, the health department and hospital administration praised the family’s decision as an inspiration for society and a milestone in promoting organ donation.

Police accorded a guard of honour as the woman’s mortal remains were flown to Trivandrum. The family was felicitated for their choice. Madhya Pradesh has long struggled to improve organ donation rates, averaging only about two dozen cadaveric donations annually. Experts point to poor coordination with trauma centres and delays in identifying brain-stem death patients as major obstacles. Niyaz, brother of the deceased, said she had been hospitalised about eight days earlier due to high blood pressure and other complications, before her condition worsened. The farewell ceremony was attended by hospital authorities, the district administration, SAM College, and the United Malayalee Association (UMA). Hospital staff presented a memento to the bereaved family, described as a lasting tribute to her compassion and generosity.