Mysore:  Former Corporator Meenakshi Mahadevaswamy, who passed away in city on May 31, has provided a gift of life to people as her organs have been harvested. Her liver and cornea was harvested at Apollo BGS Hospital in city and the liver has been transplanted to a patient who was waiting for the organ for more than 6 months. And the good news is that the organ recipient is healthy.

Incidentally, Meenakshi was the Health Standing Committee Chairman at the Mysuru City Corporation (1990-95). She passed away after a brief illness. N.G. Bharateesha Reddy, Vice-President and Unit Head, Apollo BGS Hospitals, Mysuru has thanked Meenakshi’s family for the noble gesture.

Sixty-six-year-old Meenakshi Mahadevaswamy went unconscious at her home on May 30 and was wheeled into Apollo Hospital at 5 am in a critical condition. Initial CT scan showed brain stem infarct. She was shifted to ICU for life support and intensive care.

She was kept on life support the whole night and the next day, she was declared brain dead due to brain stem failure. As per the hospital protocol stipulated by the Transplant of Human Organs Act 1994, a panel of doctors examined her and found that Meenakshi was healthy before the incident and further tests confirmed her eligibility for organ donation.

The doctors next counselled the patient’s family members on organ donation as per the defined protocol. The deceased patient’s brother and relatives came forward to donate Meenakshi’s organs. As per organ donation protocols, officials from ‘Jeeva Sarthakathe’ which was earlier known as ZCCK (Zonal Coordination Committee of Karnataka for Organ Transplantation)  initiated the process as per the organ recipient waiting list.

At around 10 am on May 31, Meenakshi’s organs (liver and cornea) were retrieved and the liver was transplanted into a recipient waiting for the organ for more than six months and who was registered with ‘Jeeva Sarthakathe’.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Daksh Betsurmath, Marketing Manager of Apollo BGS Hospital said that the liver recipient’s health was good. The process of cornea transplant was on. “Apollo BGS Hospital is the licenced liver and kidney transplant unit in Mysuru and the hospital has performed many liver and kidney transplants in the past,” he added.