Meeting Of The Hearts And Minds
Posted on: 14/Jul/2011 11:30:25 PM
While the Government of India is working at the Diplomatic level for “meeting of the hearts and minds” with Pakistan, we have contributed in our own small way at the Medical level. On the early hours of Sunday 10th of July 2011, we have transplanted the heart of an Indian to a patient from Pakistan
Riaz Mohammad, a 54 years old Pakistani national came to us from Dubai for heart transplant on June 22nd 2011. After initial work up, he was found suitable for transplant and admitted with us on June 23rd 2011. He came with his family and they are staying at our guest house. This was a case of redo bypass surgery and heart transplant was the only available option. On the same day he was registered under the Tamilnadu Network for Organ Sharing (TNOS). He was waitlisted, awaiting suitable donor heart for transplant. Suitable donor heart was available at Global Hospital Perumbakkam on the night of 8th of July 2011 from a deceased patient following a road traffic accident. After the consent from the deceased donor family and obtaining the green signal from the State Convenor’s office, we proceeded with the potential donor assessment. Search was made for an Indian recipient in Tamilnadu and across the country. Since there was no appropriate Indian recipient available, at the State as well as at the National level, the offer was made to our hospital.
After repeated delays in decision to harvest the heart from the deceased patient on 9th July 2011, our harvesting team took the upper hand and removed the heart from the donor after obtaining consent from the donor family and after green signal from CCTP. The heart was taken out at 1:47 a.m. on 10th July and brought to our hospital at 2:11 a.m. covering a distance of 34.8 km in 24 minutes
We would like to express our appreciation for Mr. Sanjay Arora, Additional Commissioner of Police and his traffic team who established the “Green Corridor” to transport the heart expeditiously to save the life of the Pakistani recipient.
The donor was a Hindu, the surgeon was a Christian and the recipient was a Muslim which is an example of how Organ Donation and Transplantation transcends the barriers of religion and binds us all towards the noble cause.
