Families donate organs of accident, suicide victims

All that this 42-year-old woman needed was access to a super-speciality hospital, the absence of which in Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) has resulted in her death.

Chitra M suffered head injuries when a vehicle hit her from behind as she went to pick up her children from school. The injury caused heavy blood loss.

The accident occurred in the afternoon, but her family managed to bring Chitra to Manipal Hospital in Old Airport Road only in the late evening. Her husband Augustine said Chitra was bleeding for seven hours which rendered her brain dead.

“We managed to reach Manipal Hospital only by 8 pm, by which time Chitra lost a precious amount of blood,” Augustine said. “Several scans and tests later, she was declared brain dead and we were counselled to donate her organs.”

Chitra’s family donated her heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, corneas, veins, bone and skin.

In another incident, 19-year-old Ramya attempted suicide by hanging herself and was declared brain-dead at the hospital. Ramya’s father Anand had yelled at her on the Gowri festival for watching the television for long hours.

Anand left home the next morning without speaking to her. Ramya felt crushed by her father’s behaviour and hung herself in distress.

Doctors at the hospital counselled the family to donate her organs. The family consented to donate Ramya's kidneys, liver, heart valves and corneas.