A septuagenarian issues will giving consent to donate organs during lifetime

Senior citizens pledging their bodies to hospitals isn’t something unheard of. A septuagenarian man in Sidhi district has gone ahead to publish a will wherein he gave his consent to donate organs during his lifetime for public good.

Harinarayan Singh, a 74-year-old widower, got his will registered with the sub-registrar office in Sidhi. The documents, including an affidavit duly signed by the former controller of powerhouse at Orient Paper Mill in Amlai (Shahdol), mentioned Harinarayan’s wish to donate his body for public good.

Harinarayan has found support from his two journalist sons, but his two daughters are not on the same page with him. “Both my sons have respected my sentiments, but my daughters were not happy with my decision. But I’ll convince them to support the call of my conscience,” Singh told HT.

When queried about his wish to donate vital organs, Harinarayan said he was willing to go ahead if he can save precious lives.

“Many people pledge to donate their body to medical colleges, but often their relatives backtrack from fulfilling the last wish of the departed. I don’t want that my pledge should remain unfulfilled. That’s why I registered my last wish in the will on September 12,” maintained Singh, whose wife Prema passed away in 2004.

The elderly man, who retired from his job with a paper mill at Amlai, has become an inspiration to his younger son Aditya Narayan Singh, a journalist with a Hindi daily in Sidhi.

“I am proud of my father who has taken this bold decision. Once done with family obligations, I too will follow suit,” Aditya said.

Sidhi sub-registrar DP Singh admitted it was a first case wherein a person expressed wish to donate organs during lifetime.

First Published: Sep 25, 2016 15:07 IST