Kochi: Kerala Police’s air ambulance - the government hired helicopter- took off carrying a live heart from Thiruvananthapuram for transplant in a patient at Kochi, on its second mission, here on Tuesday.
Anujith, a 27-year-old man who was declared brain dead on July 17, turned saviour for eight persons after his wife Princy and sister Ajalya donated his organs after his death.
Anujith met with a bike accident on July 14 near Kottarakkara in Kerala's Kollam district. He was taken to the Kottarakkara Taluk Hospital in a critical condition and was later shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College. He was declared brain dead through two Apnea tests at the Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences.
Princy and Ajalya came forward to donate his heart, kidneys, eyes, small intestine and hands to save the lives of eight persons. Health Minister K K Shailaja appreciated the family for taking this humanitarian step in the time of grief. The minister also expressed condolences to Anujith's family.
The organ donation was made through 'Mrithasanjeevani' - Kerala Network for Organ Sharing (KNOS) of the state government. Anujith's heart was donated to Thrippunithura-native Sunny Thomas (55) who is under treatment at the Lisie Hospital in Kochi, and the receiver of hand and small intestine is undergoing treatment at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences.
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As directed by the chief minister, a Pawan Hans AS 35 Dauphin helicopter rented by the state government, carried out the mission of collecting Anujith's organs from the Hyatt Hotel in Ernakulam on Tuesday.
In 2010, Anujith had made headlines for his timely intervention to avoid a train accident. Anujith and his friends waved a red basket to alert the loco pilot on the railway track. With this timely act, they had saved the lives of many people.
Anujith worked as a driver at a private enterprise and later as a salesman at a supermarket in Kottarakkara following the lockdown. He has a three-year-old son. His body will be taken to his residence after the post-mortem examination.
The first mission of the State’s air ambulance was on May 9, 2020, carrying another cadaver heart from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi for transplant. This time, on its second mission also, the air ambulance has carried cadaver organs, including the heart and the hands, from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi.
When MLA Swaraj informed Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan that it will be challenging to transport the cadaver heart for transplant from Thiruvananthapuram to Kochi by road, the Chief Minister made all the necessary arrangements to carry out the mission using the State’s air ambulance. The live heart could thus be safely transported to Kochi by the Kerala Police’s helicopter rented by the Kerala Government as directed by the Chief Minister of Kerala.
The government’s move to rent a helicopter for such purposes for the Kerala Police department was criticised for extravagance, earlier in March. By successfully completing another mission of carrying cadaver organ and helping save one more life, the criticisms around hiring the helicopter seem to have vanished.
With inputs from ANI
