In a week, seven cadaver donations offer new life to 21 Mumbai patients

In the film 'Ship of Theseus', a group of people from multiple walks of life meet after discovering the fact that they have received organ donations from the same dead person. Even as they celebrate by learning about the dead organ donor's life, the film hints that the donor has achieved a kind of immortality through his act of altruism.

If the premise of the film is acceptable, then this week, seven people in Mumbai became immortal, so to speak. In the past eight days, their families took the bold decision of donating their organs after they were declared brain-dead. These acts of kindness have given a new lease of life to 21 people who were either suffering from end stage kidney disease or end stage liver disease.

One of those who got donated organs is 44-year-old Anant Tantri, who had been waiting for eight years to get a kidney. His ordeal of undergoing dialysis thrice a week came to an end when he got a call from PD Hinduja Hospital.

Dr Jatin Kothari, his nephrologist at Hinduja hospital, said, "Finally, things look good in terms of cadaver donation in the city and state. (This trend) will bring down the waiting period for people like Tantri. It brings fresh hope for patients like him, and we doctors involved in organ transplants are feeling positive."

Dr Kothari said that Tantri had no kidney donor from his own family. "He is the only son and his parents were not fit for organ donation. He therefore was put in the Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee's (ZTCC) waiting list. In the past eight years, although he got a few calls for possible cadaver donation, he did not find a donor with the same blood group as his. We are happy that along with 20 people, his wait is over," said Dr Kothari.

According to doctors, the Versova resident had spent Rs 3 lakh every year on his dialysis. The young banker, who is presently admitted in hospital, is recuperating, said doctors.

Speaking about the cadaver donations in the city, Dr SK Mathur, the liver transplant surgeon and vice president at ZTCC said that this is the best period in the history of cadaver donation in the city. "It makes me feel proud that there has been one cadaver donation per day. We wish that this trend continues and more patients who are waiting for an organ benefit. We sincerely hope that soon we can beat Chennai in terms of cadaver donation."

So far this year, 11 cadaver donations have taken place. All of these cadavers have been received from private hospitals. According to health experts, public hospitals are more likely by far to get a brain-dead patient than a private hospital. Yet, public hospitals have been lagging behind in cadaver donation. To find out why, the state's health department has set up an expert committee.

The trend of cadaver donations has always been uneven in the city. In 2012, there were 26 cadaver donations, because the issue was highly publicised following Vilasrao Deshmukh's death due to liver failure. In 2014, the city saw 41 cadaver donations that benefited 107 people.

As transplant is the only cure for patients with organ failure, health experts feel brain death should be recognised and donations should be promoted. While Mumbai has been lagging behind, Chennai manages to get over 80 cadaver donations each year.