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4:30 pm to 10:30 pm, a liver goes begging for a donee

When Nashik-based farmer Ram Naik (name changed) received a call from Jupiter Hospital in Thane on Monday night, the 53-year-old and his family were elated.

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When Nashik-based farmer Ram Naik (name changed) received a call from Jupiter Hospital in Thane on Monday night, the 53-year-old and his family were elated.

Naik, an end-stage liver patient, left home with hopes of a new lease of life.

But an hour-and-a-half later, at Igatpuri, Jupiter hospital asked him to go back as the donor family has backed out.

From what sources tell dna, the donor family cannot be blamed. The fault clearly lies with the Hinduja hospital.

The donor family, who were at the Hinduja hospital, had given consent for the liver and kidney donations of their 37-year-old brain dead kin in the afternoon.

The kidney donations went on smoothly, with one going to a patient in Hinduja hospital itself and the other going to Jaslok hospital.

As per Zonal Transplant Co-ordination Committee (ZTCC) rules, the hospital where the donor-patient dies has the first right to go for the transplant. If there are no recipient-patient there, it will go to the next hospital in the ZTCC waiting list.

However, in this case, Hindustan hospital took more than four hours in passing the liver to the next hospital, after the final confirmatory test of the patient's brain death at 4:30 pm.

Hinduja hospital authorities didn't respond to dna's repeated calls and text messages.

The delay not only frustrated the donor-patient's family, but also hurt Naik's life.

"When the donor family was told that they might have to wait till 7 in the morning, the family didn't want to wait any more and decided to withdraw its consent for liver donation," said an ZTCC source.

The 37-year-old man was admitted to Hinduja hospital after he suffered from brain haemorrhage.

Once Hinduja hosptial decided – after four hours – that it doesn't have a patient to receive the liver, Jaslok and Fortis were informed.

Since they too had some problems, the next in the waiting list was Naik, who was registered with Jupiter Hospital, Thane. Accordingly, Jupiter called up Naik.

"We informed him and he and his family immediately left home. Later we got to know that the donor-family has refused to donate the liver as they didn't want to wait further. We informed Naik's family, who had, by then, reached Igatpuri," said Aniruddha Kulkarni, organ co-ordinator, Jupiter hospital.

ZTCC officials said that they will seek Hinduja and Jupiter hospitals their versions and an internal committee will hold an inquiry.

Dr Sujata Patwardhan, general secretary, ZTCC, said, "We will be seeking a written explanation. Our committee will then decide and reprimand the hospitals."

Close to 600 patients are registered with the ZTCC for receiving kidneys. The number of patients in the waiting list is 10 times more than those who receive organs. Also, over 600 patients in the city who suffer from end-stage liver disease need urgent transplants. In 2014, only 36 did. The number of people in the waiting list for a liver is 15 times more.

In 2014, the city saw 41 cadaver donors which benefited 107 people. As transplant is the only cure for patients with organ failure, health experts feel brain deaths should be recognised and declared on time and donations should be promoted.

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