The 19th intra-state heart transplant in Gujarat was made possible by the donation of organs from a 19-year-old boy, the son of migrants from Shivpur, Bihar, who had been working in Rajkot. Deepak Kumar Ashokram Prasad was involved in a car accident and sustained major brain injuries as a result. He was referred to the Ahmedabad Civil Hospital after being admitted to the Rajkot Civil Hospital.
On November 5, he was on a ventilator in the ICU and receiving significant medical treatment. The family agreed to organ donation after counselling at the hospital, and on November 8, his heart, lungs, kidneys, and liver were removed.
His heart was transplanted into a patient at Ahmedabad’s CIMS Hospital, while his lungs were transferred into a patient in Chennai.
His kidneys and liver gave hope of a better life to three patients at IKDRC in Ahmedabad.
The Prasad family’s contribution was the 51st heart donation from Gujarat. It was also the 19th heart transplant within the state. A total of 32 hearts were donated in Gujarat and transplanted into patients across the country. This was also Gujarat’s 15th set of lungs to be donated. Because there is no governmental or private facility in Gujarat that can do lung transplants, all 15 pairs of lungs were transplanted in other states.
“There have been 18 organ donations from Ahmedabad Civil Hospital in the last ten months, benefitting 62 recipients,” said Medical Superintendent Dr. Rakesh Joshi.