Families felicitated for donating relatives’ organs

Last June, when Reena Jinde’s father had a stroke and was declared brain dead, she and her two sisters were asked by doctors if they wanted to donate his organs.

Last June, when Reena Jinde’s father had a stroke and was declared brain dead, she and her two sisters were asked by doctors if they wanted to donate his organs.

HT Image

“If our father’s organs could give life to someone, then why not. We had to think practically, and we did,” said Jinde, 26, a Powai resident.

Jinde was among the members of seven donor families who were felicitated on Saturday by the state government and the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC) to mark ‘Maharashtra Organ Donation Day’ at Hinduja Hospital.

“The aim of the function was to create awareness and the importance of cadaver organ donation among the public and urge the hospital administrators to take the initiative further,” said Dr Sujata Patwardhan, secretary, ZTCC.

For Vasai resident Ranjana Bujad, 27, who belongs to tribal community, the concept of organ donation was unfamiliar. However, the thought of giving a fresh lease of life to someone, instantly made her agree to donate to donate her brain dead husband’s organs last September.

“I feel my husband is still alive in those who got his organs,’ said Bujad, a construction worker. Her husband was declared brain dead after a road accident.

“Just like eye donation, we wish that organ donation no longer remains an exception but becomes a social responsibility of the community at large,” said Dr Jatin Kothari, joint secretary, ZTCC and consultant nephrologist at Hinduja Hospital.