Brain dead youth enlightens eight lives
In the midst of profound grief, the family of an 18-year-old, a bright student pursuing his graduation, faced a heart-wrenching decision. The boy had succumbed to injuries sustained in an accident at Aakash Healthcare in Delhi.
However, in a remarkable display of empathy and courage, his parents decided to donate his organs, ensuring that the boy’s legacy would live on through saving the lives of others. Pushpa Jindal, the boy's aunt, a prominent educationist and social activist, played a pivotal role in persuading the grieving parents to consider organ donation. The boy's organs were swiftly allocated to patients in critical need across various hospitals by NOTTO. His heart found its new home at Fortis, while his lungs were transplanted into Niranjan Vishwakarma at Medanta. The gift of kidneys went to Kush Dhamija at Max Vaishali and another recipient at Aakash Healthcare, while Ravi Kumar Srivastava received his liver, also at Aakash Healthcare. Additionally, his corneas were donated to Shroff Eye Hospital.
A team of doctors at Aakash Healthcare, including Dr. Ajitabh Srivastava (Director & Senior Consultant, Liver Transplant & Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Surgery), Dr. Ashish George (Senior Consultant, Liver Transplant, GI Surgery, and Hepatobiliary Surgery), Dr. Vikas Agarwal (Director & HOD – Robotic Urology, Kidney Transplant, Uro Oncology, Andrology & Male Infertility), and the Anaesthesia Team: Dr. Namita Sharma (Senior Consultant & HOD - Anaesthesia & Pain Management), Dr. Sanjay Agarwal, Dr. Vandana Dudeja, ensured the successful harvesting of the boy's organs. Dr. Aashish Chaudhry, orthopedic and Managing Director of Aakash Healthcare, emphasised the critical need for organ donations in India. "Cadaveric donations are crucial in bridging this gap," he said, highlighting the potential of a single donor to save up to eight lives.
GIMS workshop on essential newborn care
The Department of Pediatrics at GIMS, Greater Noida recently conducted an interactive session on Essential newborn care in collaboration with ECHO platform. Essential newborn care is of paramount importance as it significantly impacts the immediate and long-term health outcomes of infants, said the experts. Director GIMS Dr Brig Rakesh Gupta stressed on importance of essential newborn care in improving the overall outcome of neonates in our country. Dr Ruchika Bhatnagar Associate Professor (Pediatrics), GIMS. Dr Anjali from ECHO India coordinated the session which had key messages: Maintain the body temperature and prevent hypothermia
- Maintain the airway and breathing
- Initiate breast feeding within an hour of birth
- Counsel mother/caregiver for immunization, danger signs and follow-up
- Timely and appropriate referrals.
Dr Anita Kumari Prof & HOD Paediatrics, Dr Priyanka, Dr Sujaya, Dr Pinky, Dr Ruchi, Dr Rajeev and Dr Sanju were among the participants.
National Birth Defect Awareness Month 2024 launched
During an event held in Delhi early this month, Dr. VK Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, unveiled the National Birth Defect Awareness Month 2024, stressing the imperative need to address birth defects to cut down child mortality rates. Theme is "Breaking Barriers: inclusive support for children with birth defects.”
He asked students to specialize in Pediatrics during their PG studies, underlining the vulnerability of kids to defects detected at birth. He stressed the importance of addressing the isolation experienced by families affected by birth defects. Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra echoed Dr. Paul's sentiments, emphasizing the criticality of early identification of birth defects such as Club Foot, Hearing impairments, retinal defects, and cleft lips.
