Organ donation has taken a drop of 20%, in Mumbai and the whole of Maharashtra since the last couple of years. Earlier, Maharashtra led other states in organ donation. However in 2022,  the topper state dropped to number four. Addressing the nation on 26th March 2023, in the 99th episode of his radio programme, 'Mann Ki Baat', Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid emphasis on the importance of organ donation. He said that there is a huge number of people who are in need of organ donors. PM Modi told his audience about a case in 2020 where the parents of a 39-days old baby girl donated her organs. She became the youngest donor in the country. He invited the couple from Punjab to join him virtually and share their inspiring story. The couple said they were absolutely shocked when they heard PM Modi mention them. 

The couple, Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Supreet Kaur said that they were blessed with a beautiful baby girl, Ababat. The meaning of Ababat is related to the service of others and changing the lives of others. However, their happiness was short-lived. According to Ababat's parents, she had a bunch of nerves in her brain and the size of her heart was also bigger than the normal size. For the first 24 days, the child was normal. However, after 24 days she suffered a cardiac arrest & stopped breathing. The panicked, resorted to mouth-to-mouth resuscitation & rushed her to the hospital. Doctors revived her but she was diagnosed with a disease in her head which caused the size of her heart to increase gradually. The doctors at the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) in Chandigarh tried their best to save her, but her chances of survival remained weak. Baby Ababat passed away when she was 39-day-old.

Her parents decided to donate her organs to save the life of someone else. Only her kidneys could be harvested, the doctor said. The girl’s mother, Supreet Kaur, said she felt proud that her daughter’s kidneys helped in lending a lease of life to someone. The kidneys donated by the baby had saved the life of a 15-year-old boy from Patiala.  When PM Modi asked the couple what was going through their mind while taking this brave decision. Sukhbir replied that he and his wife got the inspiration from a family friend who donated her organs. Sukhbir said, “We felt more proud at that time when the doctors told us that your daughter had become the youngest donor in India. "  

PM Modi said, "In this era of modern medical science, organ donation has become very important. It is said that when a person donates his body after death, it creates a possibility for 8 to 9 people to get a new life. Government is working on a uniform policy for organ donation throughout the country."

Tags

• Ababat
• Organ donation
• Sukhbir Singh Sandhu
• Supr

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