From the heart: More than 3,000 pledge organs

Bengaluru: One heart transplant, and more than 3,000 people have pledged to donate their organs. After inspiring reports in the media about traffic cops in the city and Chennai creating a green corridor to reach the heart of a brain dead woman in Bengaluru to save a 21-year-old girl in Chennai, who needed an immediate transplant, more than 3,000 people across the state have signed up for organ donation.

The family of the woman, who was brain dead after suffering a brain haemorrhage in a road accident, agreed to donate her heart. The precious organ then started its journey from BGS Hospital in the city to Fortis Hospital in Chennai. The traffic police cleared the road from the hospital till the Kempegowda International Airport as the heart had to be reached without delay to Chennai, where the 21-year-old was waiting for the transplant.

“After this incident, thousands have come forward to pledge their organs at the Zonal Coordination Committee of Karnataka for Transplantation (ZCCK). The response has been overwhelming. We are also getting a number of calls from donors that they too want to donate their hearts, The callers have been asking us for details and the procedures involved to enlist as organ donors,” said Manjula, chief transplant coordinator, ZCCK.

ZCCK facilitates culture of organs from cadavers and helps organise their transplantation for needy patients throughout the state. Since the Chennai incident, the committee has dispatched more than 2,000 pledge forms to interested donors. Committee members said that Bengaluru tops the list of cities where people have pledged to donate their organs after being brain dead.

“More than a thousand people from the city have pledged to donate their organs,” said Ms Manjula. Private companies in the city too have taken the initiative forward. “Many private companies have approached the ZCCK and other voluntary organisations to spread awareness about organ donation in their offices,” she said.