Indian Orthodox Priest fasts to donate his kidney
Fr Santhosh George
21/7/2011
An Indian Orthodox Priest fasts to donate his kidney
INDIA/KERAL/THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Fr Santhosh George of the Malankara Orthodox Church wants to donate his kidney to a criticallyill patient. But a Central Government rule stands in his way. It forbids kidney transplant in government hospitals if the donor is not a blood relative of the patient. In desperation, the priest undertook a fast before the Secretariat on Wednesday to persuade the authorities to take a lenient view to save the life of the patient.Jayasree, 16, daughter of Surendran Nair and Ushakumari of Pongathala house, Karode, Vilappilsala, Thiruvananthapuram, has been undergoing treatment at the Medical College Hospital here for the last six months for kidney ailment. As both her kidneys had failed, her doctor Dr John Jacob advised urgent transplantation.To Surendran Nair, it came as a shock as he had exhausted all his savings on the treatment of his daughter.
He suffered a mental breakdown and is now confined to his dilapidated house. Ushakumari, Jayasree’s mother, could not be of help as her kidney is unsuitable for her daughter. Seeing their plight, Fr Santhosh George, who runs an orphanage in Chennai, came forward to donate his kidney. The Sathya Sai Orphanage Trust, Thonnakkal, agreed to fund the the transplant at the Medical College. But the Medical College authorities informed them of the Central Government guideline.The surgery, if performed at a government hospital, will cost only Rs 3.5 lakh.
The same operation could cost at least Rs 10 lakh in a private hospital. Therefore, the priest fasted before the Secretariat to persuade the authorities to have a relook at the guideline and grant an exemption. “An amendment to the guideline will benefit hundreds of poor patients,” said Fr Santhosh.Justice V R Krishna Iyer inaugurated the fast, urging the authorities to take a helpful decision. Yuva Morcha state president V V Rajesh, journalist Bhasurendra Babu and K N Anantha Kumar of the Sathya Sai Trust spoke.Rajesh told ‘Express’ that an action committee formed to help the family has collected around Rs 90,000 for the post-surgical care of the girl.
