Green corridor across 3 states helps provide life-saving organs to 5 patients from donor

Dehradun: In a coordinated inter-state medical operation, authorities across nine districts in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi created a green corridor to transport life-saving organs from a single donor to five patients across different locations.The organs — heart, liver, kidneys, pancreas and corneas — were donated by Raghu Paswan, a mason from Bihar, who sustained fatal injuries in an accident and was later declared brain-dead. His family consented to organ donation, enabling transplants at Army Hospital (Research and Referral), All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Delhi, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh and AIIMS Rishikesh.The organs were surgically retrieved on Friday by doctors at AIIMS Rishikesh, where Raghu had been admitted in the second week of Jan. While the family initially hoped for recovery, doctors informed them that the chances were bleak as he had suffered irreversible brain damage."It took us three to four days to counsel Raghu's wife, Prabhavati Devi, about organ donation," said Shambhu Paswan, Rishikesh mayor and Raghu's relative. "She eventually agreed after understanding how this decision could save multiple lives. Raghu now lives on in at least five people across different states."Medical teams from Delhi, Chennai and Chandigarh coordinated the retrieval and transport process at AIIMS on Thursday. Raghu's heart was allocated to the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) in Delhi. His lungs, initially intended for Chennai, were found unfit for transplantation by the visiting medical team. "The kidneys, liver, pancreas and corneas were transplanted into recipients in Delhi, Chandigarh and AIIMS Rishikesh," said Dr Sriloy Mohanty, PRO of AIIMS Rishikesh."The heart has a critical preservation window of four to five hours. It was airlifted by an Army helicopter, while the remaining organs were transported by road. Despite heavy rainfall, the teams reached Delhi in about three hours and 20 minutes, and PGI Chandigarh in nearly the same time," Mohanty said.Executive director and CEO of AIIMS Rishikesh, Dr Meenu Singh, said the entire process began around 10 am and concluded by 3 pm. "This was the second cadaveric organ donation at AIIMS Rishikesh. The selfless decision of Raghu's family enabled multiple transplant surgeries and gave hope and survival to several patients," she said, stressing the need to strengthen public awareness about organ donation.