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Liver Transplantation | First in India

 Unable to find a suitable liver donor for her father, Devananda had no second thoughts to donate her liver for her dear father Pratheesh, a resident of Kolazhi, Thrissur. The Indian transplantation laws “The Transplantation of Human Organ Act, 1994” do not permit donation of organs from minors. Devananda approached the Honorable High court of Kerala seeking exemption in age .Justice VG Arun's order in the matter lauded Devananda for fighting against all the odds.

 
The surgery was conducted at Rajagiri Hospital on the 9th February led by Dr. Ramachandran Narayanamenon Chief of Multi-Organ Transplant Services at Rajagiri Hospital along with transplant surgeons Dr. Johns Shaji Mathew, Dr. Joseph George, Dr Gasnaffar Hussain, Hepatologist Dr. Cyriac Abby Philips and Transplant Anesthetists Dr. Salini Ramakrishnan, Dr. George Jacob & Dr Jayasankar S. Fr. Johnson Vazhappilly CMI, Executive Director & CEO of Rajagiri Hospital, said that Devananda is a role model for the world in organ donation. Dr. Ramachandra Narayana Menon applauded the courage of Devananda & she is an inspiration to many.
 
The life of 48 year-old Pratheesh who was running a cafe in Thrissur was suddenly overturned when he found fluid accumulation in his leg which on further evaluation revealed liver disease along with cancerous lesion in the liver. Pratheesh's family of two children was devastated when doctors advised them that there was no other option than to go for liver transplantation at the earliest. Pratheesh searched for a matching donor but could not find one. Kerala which boasted good number of donations from brain dead donors saw a massive drop in the donation rates owing to many reasons in recent years. Misperceptions on brain dead organ donations was the main reason for this drop in donation rates. While rest of the country is seeing rise in donation rates, Kerala’s brain dead donations are now among the lowest in the country.
 
 
Devananda enquired about all possibilities and found that according to the existing 1994 Act related to transplantation of human organs, not having completed the age of 18 is a barrier to organ donation. Not losing hope, she pursued her search and found that in a similar case, there was a court order allowing the organ donation from a minor child.She conveyed this information to his uncle, who in turn met his friend Adv. P N Shaji who worked at High Court of Kerala. Devananda rested all her hope in the High Court even when some relatives were against it. Her mother stood by Devananda's decision. All the documents were produced before the medical board constituted by the High Court and the family ran round the clock for approval. After perusing through all details, High Court gave permission for the organ donation. Devananda made drastic changes in her diet and she joined a local gym with regular exercises to ensure her liver was in the best condition for donation. After a week's hospital stay, Devananda is returning to normal life. Devananda, who is a student of Thrissur Sacred Heart Convent School, now has the Plus Two exam in March ahead of her. Devananda says that this was the most challenging period of her life but was overjoyed that her father has a second chance at life due to the donation. Appreciating the heroic efforts of Devananda Rajagiri Hospital waived of her medical expenses including the donor surgery.
 
 
 
18 Feb 2023 Back

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