'Brain Dead' Noida Resident Saves Three Life By Donating His Organs

Children of Ramnath Thakur, a Noida resident, are proud of their father despite losing him in a road accident recently. Thakur gave new lease of life to three people by donating his organs.

On Sunday, Thakur, 58, was hit by a goods carrier when going on his two-wheeler to meet one of his friends. He was taken to Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Center at AIIMS. On Tuesday, Thakur was declared “brain dead” by doctors. But he donated his liver, both kidneys and cornea to three donors, saving their life, reported The Indian Express.

AIIMS senior officials told the newspaper that the liver has been transplanted on a woman and the pair of kidney on a woman and a man.

“He was declared brain dead on Monday night. His family was counselled for organ donation and they decided to go for it. While the liver and kidneys have been transplanted, the cornea has been stored in the eye bank. All credit goes to the family,” Dr Aarti Vij, professor and faculty in-charge, Organ Retrieval Banking Organisation, AIIMS, told The Indian Express.

Sanjay Kumar Jha, Thakur’s nephew, said: “He was a very helpful person. When the family was counselled, both his sons decided to donate the organs. We did not know much about it, but the sons decided that if donating organs helps save lives, we should do it without hesitation.” According to a report by The Times of India, of the 85,000 liver failure patients who join the country's wait list annually, less than 3% get an organ. Also, of the two lakh fresh annual registrations for kidneys, 8,000 manage a transplant.

Recently, the Union health ministry decided to ease norms for organ donation. The ministry of health and family welfare is considering the inclusion of step-parents, step-siblings and extended family members in the definition of ‘near relatives’ in the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, 1994 via an amendment to discourage organ trading while ensuring that patients find suitable donors.  

The ministry had earlier amended the Act in 2011 and included grandfather, grandmother, grandson or granddaughter in the definition of ‘near relatives’.