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Celebrating Second Chances – Doctors at Yashoda Hospitals Urge People to Donate Organs

Hyderabad, 15th April 2022: Yashoda Hospitals, Secunderabad, organized a gathering of ten organ recipients who had received heart-lung transplants in the previous year on Friday to commemorate the ongoing National Donate Life Month in April, which encourages people to register as organ donors, and also to mark two years of the Covid pandemic.

The organ recipients described their quality of life as well as their experiences with the entire process. When they were admitted to the hospital, they all had terminal lung or heart failure caused by Covid-19, with severe breathlessness, a need for oxygen, and a limited ability to perform daily activities.

Following organ transplantation amid the pandemic, all of them are now able to walk freely, exercise, and have a fully functional quality of life. The organ recipients expressed their gratitude to the Heart and Lung Transplant team, which was led by Dr. Jnanesh Thacker, Dr. Apar Jindal, and a multidisciplinary team of health care workers.

Dr. Pavan Gorukanti, Director of Yashoda Hospital, who himself is a pulmonologist from the United States, expressed great satisfaction with the advancements in healthcare, particularly lung and liver transplant being among the most complicated and results matching or exceeding international averages due to the quality and experience of doctors, but also most critically dedicated set up for Liver, Heart, Lung, Advanced lung failure ECMO units with full staffed providers.

“I strongly urge people to not only consider organ donation but also communicate wishes to family and ensure that it occurs in the event of an emergency, rather than being caught off guard despite the best of intentions,” added Dr. Pavan Gorukanti.

Yashoda Hospitals was always at the cutting edge of healthcare, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic waves, with more than 200 ventilator patients in the first wave, 100 air ambulance transfers and ECMO management, 25 heart and lung transplants, and 150 liver transplants, all with excellent survival rates despite the challenges of the pandemic year.

April is observed as the National Donate Life Month, and a great reminder about organ donation and how it can give a new lease of life to multiple people even after death. On many occasions, a single cadaveric donation can benefit 5-10 different people, and few things can compare to this noblest of sacrifices.

Many people may intend to donate organs if an unforeseen tragedy occurs and they are in an unsalvageable medical situation, but they may be unable to do so due to a lack of planning ahead of time and communication with loved ones about such intentions. As a result, it would be a good idea to talk with close family members about organ donation wishes if such a situation arises, or to make an advance directive about such wishes, which would help them make the right decision during the most difficult time of bereavement and funeral planning!