Jammu woman's 6-year wait for kidney transplant continues at PGI

CHANDIGARH: Prabha Devi (name changed), a 33-year-old woman from Jammu, has been waiting for her kidney transplant in the PGI for the past 6 years. Shuttling from Jammu to Chandigarh has been difficult, so she has shifted to Chandigarh, leaving her daughters with her relatives.

However, her wait is still not over. Many like Prabha are living with this hope of getting the organ. Despite their number on top of the waiting list, they are turned back every time for want of a compatible match.

“I have been surviving for the last 5 years on dialysis. I got five calls this year from PGI to come for the surgery. However, there were 10 more patients in the room who too were called. I wonder what is the criteria for calling patients when I was on top of the waiting list and my laboratory tests were also normal,” said Saket (name changed), another patient from Ludhiana.

In places like Tamil Nadu, there is a real-time waiting list of organ donors which can be accessed by anyone. Sources said the same mechanism had been requested to be applied in PGI as well, but till date, nothing has been done in this matter.

“Why should we be asked to come if we are not getting the organ at the time of calls made from the PGI? We have to shell extra for travelling and then go back disheartened without the operation,” said Malwinder Kaur (name changed) from Ropar.

Experts said the waiting list is dynamic and is decided based on the condition of the donor. For instance, if the donor is aged and has other chronic diseases, a healthy young recipient at the top of the list cannot be selected as a match.

Over the years, the brain death donation of organs in PGI has declined from 78 kidneys in 2022 to 27 in 2023 to 17 till date; 18 livers in 2022 to 8 in 2023 and 3 till date; while heart donation has also declined from 11 in 2022 to 5 in 2023 and 4 till date.

Sources said there has been a radical change in the system in the past few years which has resulted in a shortage of donors. Those coming to the ICU with the probability of brain death are not in touch with the team of healthcare workers who can counsel them for organ donation.

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