AIIMS faculty members work through night as junior doctors continue strike

Even as AIIMS resident doctors continued their strike over an alleged assault on one of their colleagues by a senior doctor, the faculty members worked through the night at the trauma centre to retrieve the organs of a man and offered a fresh lease of life to several other patients.

An 18-year-old man was brought to the trauma centre on Thursday, the day resident doctors went on the strike, following a road accident on Noida Expressway, its chief Rajesh Malhotra said.

The man had sustained severe head injuries and was comatose after the accident. He was put on life support and tests conducted on him confirmed he was brain dead, Malhotra said.

Subsequently, his father, who works at Nagaland House in New Delhi, was asked if they were willing to donate the organs of his son to patients who needed them. He gave his consent and the organ retrieval team at the trauma centre was activated.

Amid strike by the Resident Doctors Association, the process began at 6 pm yesterday and the heart was retrieved at 9.30 pm. It was transplanted to a cardiac patient.

Both kidneys were transplanted to two patients waiting for renal transplants. His liver was was given to two patients at two hospitals. Both the corneas (eyes) were retrieved for corneal transplant on two patients who may get vision soon.

The family also gave their consent for retrieving the bones, which will be used by the orthopaedic team.

The body was then handed over to the family after due formalities.

"Arjun has given life to seven different patients in need of organ transplants and so his life continues after death," Malhotra said.

"Senior doctors worked through the night for this humane cause and respected the greatest human donation inspite of greatly-increased clinical load due to the strike by junior residents," Malhotra added.