KOLKATA: On Mahashashthi, when the entire city was celebrating the homecoming of goddess Durga and the victory of good over evil, another Durga, a homemaker, played saviour to three lives in death.Durga Sadhu (59), a Baguiati resident, was declared brain dead at Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals after suffering heavy intracranial bleeding on Monday evening. With her family consenting to donate her organs, the city medical and administrative machinery swung into action to make it possible for two renal failure patients and one with a failing liver to receive new organs. Efforts were on to retrieve her kidneys and liver when reports last came in.“The kidneys and liver seem to be alright so far. We are yet to conduct final confirmatory tests to conclude the viability of the organs. We are keeping our fingers crossed,” said Dr Suresh Ramasuban at Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals where the donor was declared brain dead.At SSKM, doctors started working on identifying the recipients once the organs were allocated to the hospital after the Regional Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO) was informed. Tests like cross-matching were being conducted to choose the right recipient till late into the night.“We are hoping that the organs will be viable. But the fact that families are accepting the concept of brain death and agreeing to donate organs is a huge boost for organ donation ,” said Dr Manimoy Banerjee, ROTTO director and also director at Institute of Post Graduate Medicine and Research (IPGMER).We have kept our recipient ready in anticipation of the transplant,” said Dr Abhijit Chowdhury , hepatology head at SSKM Hospital.This comes four days after the family of Monika Kar (57) of New Town consented to organ donation and is the ninth deceased donation this year in the city.Fifty-nine-year-old Durga was taken to the Apollo Gleneagles Hospital emergency from Baguaiti on Monday morning after she lost consciousness. Doctors found that she had suffered intracranial haemorrhage. The family was explained that she was brain dead and that it was useless putting her on prolonged ventilation.“Dr B K Singhania explained to us the concept of brain dead. It took a few hours for us to consent to the organ donation as we had to consult everyone in the family. But we are happy that we could finally take the decision. It is heartening that she would save at least three lives if the transplant happens,” said Pradip Sarkar, Durga’s son-in-law.Doctors at both SSKM and Apollo were coordinating with ROTTO till late into the night. The transplant surgeries are likely to happen in the early hours of Tuesday.

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