Historic Organ Airlift In Rajasthan Saves Four Lives; Doctors Commend Donor Vishnu, His Family

Organs from a brain-dead youth, Vishnu Prasad, were airlifted from Jhalawar to Jaipur and Jodhpur to be transplanted into four critically ill patients.

Jaipur: Rajasthan witnessed a remarkable feat, no less than a wonder, on Sunday when organs from a brain-dead youth, 35-year-old Vishnu Prasad, were airlifted from Jhalawar to Jaipur and Jodhpur to be transplanted into four critically ill patients to save their lives. This also marks the first such initiative when organs were shifted by air ambulance in the state, boosting the efforts towards transplantation.

Officials involved in the process told ETV Bharat that the liver and one kidney of the youth were taken to Jodhpur AIIMS, while his heart, kidney, and lungs were brought to Jaipur's SMS Medical College.

“The airlift significantly reduced the transportation time from four to six hours to just one hour and fifteen minutes. It will ensure the quality of the organs,” they said.

Principal of SMS Medical College Deepak Maheshwari said that the institute has been doing all types of organ transplants, including kidneys, livers, and hearts, but this is the first time we are transplanting lungs. “A special fluid was ordered from Chennai to keep the lungs healthy. This also indicates that the procedure involves a lot of complexities,” he said.

Organs were airlifted to Jaipur and Jodhpur (ETV Bharat)

Organ transplant coordinator Dr Manish Agarwal praised the team for their efforts and for making this unique medical feat possible. “This campaign of organ donation is being promoted as per the wishes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma,” he said.

Dr Agarwal also saluted the organ donors, saying the significance of their contribution is immense and should encourage everyone toward that.

Sohan Singh Nathawat, MD of helicopter operator institute Avon, which assisted in the airlift, said that for the first time, organs have been airlifted in Rajasthan. “Organs have been taken from Jhalawar to Jaipur and from Jaipur to Jodhpur. Organs are always transferred by creating a green corridor, but it takes a lot of time, and the public faces many problems related to traffic,” he said.

“The AIIMS Jodhpur team successfully retrieved the organs, and the transplant coordinators, nursing officers, and doctors played a crucial role in this process,” Jodhpur AIIMS spokesperson Dr Jeevan Ram Bishnoi said.

Dr Bishnoi said that Vishnu was admitted to Jhalawar Medical College on Wednesday (December 11) after suffering a serious head injury in a road accident and was declared brain dead. “On Friday, his family agreed to donate his organs, which were retrieved by the AIIMS Jodhpur team led by Dr Piyush Varshney, Dr Subhash Soni, Dr Deepak Bhirud and Dr Jitendra and later airlifted,” he said.

According to him, the initiative was possible only because of the humanitarian thinking of 33-year-old Vishnu and his family.

Along with the AIIMS doctors, transplant coordinators Kuldeep Singh and Ramesh and nursing officers Manish, Praveen, and Damodar played an important role in this process. Dr Shivcharan Navaria contributed to coordinating permissions and building facilities for the safe retrieval of organs. On Sunday, a liver transplant will be done by Dr Vaibhav Varshney and a kidney transplant by Dr AS Sandhu and his team.

Principal Maheshwari said the historic airlift would pave the way for quick and efficient organ transplantation in Rajasthan.

“This is a significant step towards promoting organ donation and transplantation in the state and generating hope for many awaiting healthy organs for life-saving procedures,” he said.

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