16-month-old baby becomes youngest organ donor, gives new life to 2 patients by donating liver and kidney

Youngest organ donor: A 16-month-old baby from Bhubaneswar has become the youngest organ donor in Odisha. The baby has given a new life to two patients by donating his liver and kidney. An official of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar gave this information on Monday. The parents of Janmesh Lenka (16 months) took the bold decision of organ donation. Thus, they turned their personal tragedy into a ray of hope for others. Janmesh had inhaled a foreign object while breathing, due to which his airway became blocked and he started having difficulty breathing. Then he was admitted to the pediatric department of AIIMS Bhubaneswar on February 12.

Tireless work to stabilize health

An AIIMS official said the intensive care team worked tirelessly to provide 'immediate cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR)' and stabilise his health for the next two weeks. Despite this, the child was declared 'brain dead' on March 1. Recognizing the potential of giving the gift of life to others, the AIIMS medical team advised the bereaved parents to donate their organs. The child's parents gave their consent for their child's organs to be used for a life-saving transplant.

Organ donation rate low in India 

The organ donation rate in India is quite low. The number of organ donations from deceased bodies here is less than one per million people. In contrast, 70-80 percent of organ donations in Western countries come from deceased bodies. Experts say that along with the shortage of organ donations, organ wastage also remains a major challenge in the country, which is definitely a matter of concern. Meanwhile, such cases motivate people to donate organs.