Mumbai’s JJ Hospital gets first cadaver donation, saves three lives

The liver from the cadaver was transplanted to a 68-year-old end-stage organ failure patient at Jupiter Hospital,Thane, while the corneas were retained by Sir JJ Hospital for transplants.

Maharashtra’s largest public medical facility, Sir J J Hospital, reported its first cadaver donation this month after the family of a 38-year-old brain-dead patient from Jalgaon, Sangita Mahajan, donated her body.

The liver from the cadaver was transplanted to a 68-year-old end-stage organ failure patient at Jupiter Hospital,Thane, while the corneas were retained by JJ Hospital for transplants.

Doctors from the hospital said that Mahajan had met with an accident on July 17 while she was shopping in a market. After treatment for three days at a local hospital, she slipped into coma, and her relatives moved her to Sir JJ Hospital for further treatment.

“The doctors, after an initial check-up, informed the family that Mahajan is brain-dead and asked if they would like to opt for cadaver donation. Surprisingly, the family, was impressed with Medical Education Minister Girish Mahajan’s appeal to people to opt for cadaver donation and agreed to donate heart, kidney, liver and corneas,” said Dr TP Lahane, dean, JJ Hospital.

The heart and kidneys couldn’t be used as the organs were not fit to be transplanted. The corneas were transplanted in two patients, a 60-year-old man and a 48-year-old woman.

“The doctors were so excited that even head of the departments of concerned specialties, along with their teams were present throughout the night till the donation process was complete. We will now try to increase the frequency of donations at the hospital,” Dr Lahane added.