68-year-old woman from Delhi gives a new lease of life to two with kidney donation

New Delhi, 24^th February 2025: On the morning of 17^th February 2025, a 68-year-old woman suffered a seizure attack followed by rapid loss of consciousness. Her family immediately rushed her to HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka where an urgent CT scan confirmed massive brain hemorrhage. Despite the best efforts of the medical team, her condition deteriorated rapidly, and she was declared brain dead on 20^th February 2025.

Her 72-year-old husband, along with the family, took the courageous decision to donate her organs. After his consent, both the kidneys and corneas were donated. Other organs were found unfit for transplantation. Her kidneys were allocated through NOTTO (National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization). One kidney was transplanted into a 51-year-old female at HCMCT Manipal Hospital Dwarka, while the other kidney was transplanted in a 40-year-old male at another city hospital. Mrs. Verma’s corneas were donated to Niramaya Eye Bank.

Dr. Shrikanth Srinivasan, Chairman, Manipal Institute of Critical Care Medicine, HCMCT Manipal Hospital, Dwarka said, “After initial stabilization of her condition including ventilatory support, CT scan revealed that she had suffered from a massive brain hemorrhage. Despite intensive treatment under the care of the Neurosurgery and Critical Care teams, she could not recover and was declared brain dead on 20^th February 2025 at 05:32 pm.”

Dr. (Col) Avnish Seth VSM, Chairman, Institute of Gastroenterology & Hepato-Biliary-Pancreatic Sciences, NCR Cluster and Head Manipal Organ Sharing & Transplant (MOST) said, “Organ donation is a powerful act of kindness and an often-ignored aspect of End of Life Care. Dr. Anurag Saxena, Cluster Head of Neurosurgery, along with the Critical Care team, took the effort to explain the concept of brain death with a beating heart to the family. The family’s decision has helped save lives and given renewed hope to others.”

There is a wide gap between patients who need transplants and the organs that are available in India. 1.8 lakh people suffer from kidney failure every year, however, only 13,426 kidney transplants were performed in 2023. An estimated 25,000 to 30,000 liver transplants are needed annually in India, but only 4491 were performed in 2023. Similarly, out of several thousand people suffering from heart failure, only 221 received a heart transplant. In the case of corneas, about 25,000 transplants are performed annually against a requirement of 1 lakh.

The noble act of organ donation highlights the pressing need for organ donations in India, as there is a significant disparity between patients awaiting transplants and the availability of organs. Increasing awareness and participation in organ donation can bridge this gap and offer hope to countless lives in need.