In a first, Ernakulam district-level hospital performs heart transplant; Nepal woman gets new life
KOCHI/TPURAM : In a landmark moment for Indias public healthcare, the Ernakulam General Hospital (GH), performed a heart transplant on a Nepalese woman on Monday, marking the first time a district-level government hospital in the country has undertaken such complex procedures. Durga Kaami, a 22-year-old woman from Nepal, received the heart of Shibu, 46, a Kollam resident who was declared brain dead on December 21 following a road accident. After his family comprising mother Shakunthala and siblings Shiji S and Saleev S consented to organ donation, the heart was airlifted from Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College (GMC) and brought to Ernakulam by noon. The surgery was led by the GHs cardiothoracic surgeon Dr George Vallooran. Durga, who suffered from a rare genetic heart condition since childhood, was under the care of cardiologist Dr Paul Thomas at the hospital. The procedure was completed by evening, and Durga was shifted to the ICU. The development has set a new benchmark for district hospitals across the country, highlighting Keralas advances in organ transplantation and equitable healthcare access, officials said. Shibu gifts life to six people; 22nd cadaver donation coordinated by K-SOTTO this year This is a proud moment not just for the hospital, but for the entire public health system, said a source with the hospital. Though Durgas family had registered with the Kerala State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (K-SOTTO) eight months ago, she was initially excluded from the priority list for organ allocation as she is not an Indian citizen.Her family moved the Kerala High Court. Based on the courts order in November, Durga was included in the list, said Dr Shahirshah, superintendent of Ernakulam GH. Having lost her mother and sister to the same condition, Durga had been staying at an orphanage with her brother. Owing to the high medical expenses in Nepal, the siblings came to Kerala for her treatment with the support of a Keralite who runs the orphanage. Meanwhile, Shibu was also instrumental in giving a lease of life to six others. One of his kidneys was transplanted at Thiruvananthapuram GMC and the other at Kollam Travancore Medical College. His liver was donated to Thiruvananthapuram KIMS Hospital, while two corneas were given to patients at the Regional Institute of Ophthalmology. In addition, Shibus skin was handed over to the Skin Bank at Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College. Shibu, who worked at a hotel in Kazhakkoottam, suffered serious injuries in an accident on December 14 at Mookattukunnu in Kollam. On December 21, doctors at Thiruvananthapuram GMC confirmed brain death. Health Minister Veena George expressed gratitude to Shibus family for their decision to donate organs despite their grief and conveyed her condolences. Incidentally, this was also the 22nd cadaver donation coordinated by K-SOTTO this year, the highest in nine years.
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