Kolkata: In a first for Tripura, a critical heart transplant on a patient diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy was conducted successfully by a team of doctors at Medica private hospital here. The Tripura man got a new lease on life after the heart was retrieved from a theatre artist who was declared brain dead on December 30.
Ranjit Roy, a resident of Barala in the Sepahijala area of Tripura, was suffering from heart problems for a long time. He is 44 years old and runs a shop to eke out a living. He had met doctor Kunal sarkar, a heart specialist, in a camp in Tripura who suggested a heart transplant.
Roy had to wait for a long time as he was not getting a suitable donor. The first hindrance was that he had to come to Kolkata for treatment as there was no facility for this type of treatment in Tripura. Secondly, getting B-positive blood donors was also a problem. Because of these two, his heart transplant was obstructed twice. However, on the 30th of last month, doctors called up Roy to inform him about the availability of a heart for the operation.
Also read: Bengal theatre artist's final act: Gifting life to seven people through organ donation
The operation was conducted on December 31, after the kin of brain-dead theatre artist Hiranmoy Ghoshal decided to donate his organs. Speaking to ETV Bharat on his illness, he said, "I used to have major problems while walking and sometimes talking. I visited several hospitals but to no avail. Then one of my elder cousins popped the name of doctor Kunal Sarkar. My son contacted him and after a wait of 10 days, I got an appointment."
He further said that the doctor suggested a heart transplant. "We collected money and came to Kolkata. An ambulance was arranged from the hospital at the Kolkata airport. The doctors operated on me the very same day and currently, I am completely fine," said Roy to ETV Bharat.
Dr Kunal Sarkar, who led the successful operation, spoke to ETV Bharat about the first man in Tripura to undergo a heart transplant. He said that Roy had to wait for seven months to get a donor. Also, he had to come to West Bengal for the operation as the facility was not available in Tripura. He didn't get the flight tickets twice earlier, but this time, fortunately, everything fell into place.
