Brain dead soldier’s organs donated, three lives saved

Pune: The city Command Hospital, Southern Command, on May 5 conducted a successful multi-organ donation procedure on a brain dead serving infantry soldier (38), who met with an accident in Nashik on May 3. Three lives were saved as a result.Doctors retrieved the organs under established medical protocols and coordinated the transport through a special green corridor.The liver and one kidney were airlifted to the Army Hospital (Research and Referral) in Delhi, while the second kidney was transplanted at the Pune hospital itself."Two serving soldiers admitted to the Army Hospital (R&R) in Delhi received the organs, while a dependent of a serving subedar received the kidney at our hospital. All three patients are doing fine," a senior doctor from the Command Hospital told TOI.The operation involved close coordination between the Indian Army, the Indian Air Force and civil authorities to ensure the organs reached the recipients on time."We immediately coordinated with multiple agencies after getting the family's consent for organ donation," the doctor said.A team of doctors from the Army Hospital (R&R) flew to Pune in an AN-32 transport aircraft of the Indian Air Force. They were able to reach the Command Hospital immediately through the green corridor and took back the organs within the stipulated time. This entire exercise was carried out in the early hours of Wednesday, the doctor added."Medical teams at the Command Hospital carried out the organ retrieval with exceptional precision, compassion and clinical excellence under established protocols," Southern Command authorities said.The Command Hospital, Southern Command, is one of the largest military hospitals in India and has been carrying out organ transplants successfully for the last few years. This year, it has conducted eight such procedures, so far, officials said.