Mumbai: In mid-Dec, 23-year-old Shubham Garate from Jogeshwari was on his way to his ancestral village in Konkan when tragedy struck. A railway accident left him critically injured. Initially treated at a local hospital in Sawarde, his family brought him back to Mumbai, hoping for specialised care. Despite their efforts, Shubham succumbed to his injuries on Dec 18, becoming the city’s second-last organ donor of the year.
This year, 60 families across Mumbai, Thane, Navi Mumbai and Palghar made the life-changing decision to donate the organs of their deceased loved ones, a rise from 50 such acts of kindness last year. Many families, like Shubham’s, donated multiple organs. Some, like a donor family from Thane who came after Shubham, also contributed tissues such as corneas, skin and bone.
“It was not an easy decision for the family, but the authorities of the hospital he was admitted to convinced us,” said Manali Garate, Shubham’s older sister.
Families of deceased donors can choose to save up to eight lives through multiple organ donations. Moreover, by donating tissues like skin, corneas and bone, one lost life can improve the lives of up to 75 persons. This year, 36 tissue donations were undertaken in the city, compared to 25 in 2023.
Historically, however, most deceased organ donations have taken place at private hospitals, rather than public health facilities. All 50 donations last year occurred in private healthcare settings. Till July this year, only one donation took place at a public hospital—when BMC-run KEM Hospital performed its first heart transplant after an unsuccessful attempt 56 years ago.
“The donation numbers have normalised only now after Covid and this trend is reflected across the state. It was a positive year for organ donations,” said Dr S K Mathur, head of the Zonal Transplant Coordination Centre (ZTCC). “We need our public hospitals to step up and scale deceased organ transplants. They need organ donation committees led by senior doctors who are responsible for engaging with families of the deceased to encourage more donations.”
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