PANJIM: Govind Yadav, a 25-year-old native of Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, became a hero by donating his organs, giving a new lease of life to five individuals.
Yadav, a labourer, was the victim of a hit-and-run incident. He suffered severe brain injuries in an accident in Mapusa on January 25. Despite receiving the best medical treatment, he could not be saved and was declared brain-dead on January 27.
Following the necessary request for organ donation, his wife, Jagriti Yadav, made a selfless and courageous decision to consent to the donation. Govind worked at a construction site in Bicholim.
The brain stem death certification was conducted by Dr Teresa Ferreira, Professor and Head of the Department of Neurology at Goa Medical College (GMC), and Dr Rukma Kolwalkar, Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at GMC.
Health Minister Vishwajit Rane expressed his gratitude, stating, "I am grateful to Jagriti Yadav, because of whom so many people are getting a new lease of life. Such incidents shatter families, but even in such a situation, she has come forward to donate the organs. This is something that must be recognised, as it saves lives."
He added, "She has lost her husband, but she has chosen to donate his organs. We must acknowledge her remarkable act."
According to Prof Dr Shivanand Bandekar, Dean of GMC, the kidneys were allocated to two female recipients aged 35 and 36 at Goa Medical College. The heart was allocated to a 55-year-old male at HN Reliance Hospital in Mumbai, while the liver was given to a 39-year-old male from Zydus Hospital in Ahmedabad, facilitated by ROTTO West.
As there were no suitable recipients for the lungs in the region, they were offered to the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) and subsequently allocated to Apollo Hospital in Delhi.
Thanks to the excellent coordination between SOTTO Goa, EMRI 108, the Goa Police Traffic Cell, and officials from Manohar International Airport, Mopa, and Dabolim International Airport, three green corridors were established from Goa Medical College to both airports, ensuring the smooth and timely transportation of the organs.