A three-year-old boy from Mumbai has become the city's youngest cadaver donor. On June 5, the little boy met with an accident while playing with his older brother. Tragically, he was struck by a stationary bike, causing him to lose consciousness. His mother rushed him to a nearby doctor and subsequently to Wadia Hospital.
Doctors at Wadia Hospital determined that the boy had suffered internal bleeding. This resulted in increased pressure on his brain. An emergency surgery was performed to alleviate the pressure and mitigate further damage. Despite the efforts of the paediatric intensive care team, the boy's condition remained critical. On June 9, he was declared brain dead.
During this time, the parents were provided with comprehensive information by the hospital coordinator and a representative from the Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC). The parents made the decision to donate their young son's organs.
The hospital's brain stem death committee officially confirmed the irreversibility of brainstem death on June 10. The ZTCC was promptly informed, and the boy's heart, liver, and both kidneys were allocated to recipients in need. Prior to the organ retrieval process, medico-legal clearances were obtained to ensure compliance with regulations and ethical standards. On June 11, a team of skilled surgeons worked for five hours to retrieve the organs.
Shockingly, 15 people lose their lives every day due to a lack of available organs in India. Despite awareness campaigns, organ donations in the state have seen a decline in the past two years. In 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic further exacerbated the shortage, leading to only 31 cadaver organ donations. However, the number of donations in Mumbai alone rose to 47. Yet, this year has seen a discouragingly low figure with only 20 cadaveric organ donations in Maharashtra so far.
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