17-year-old Girl Donates Part Of Liver To Father, Becomes Youngest Organ Donor In India

Father-Daughter Love: A 17-year-old girl from Kerala has donated her liver to her father. By doing this, she has become the youngest organ donor in the country. The girl’s name is Devananda and she is a class 12 student. Devananda’s father was suffering from severe liver disease and a liver transplant was the only way to cure him.

But, according to the Transplantation of Human Organ Act, 1994, the provisions do not permit minors to donate organs. Hence, Devananda sought special permission from the Kerala High Court, which was accepted by the court. After getting the court’s permission, Devananda donated a part of her liver to her 48-year-old father, Pratheesh.

The surgery was carried out at the Rajagiri Hospital in Kochi on February 9, a hospital statement said. According to the hospital, the surgery was led by Dr Ramachandran Narayana Menon, chief of Multi-Organ Transplant Services at Rajagiri Hospital, along with transplant surgeons and transplant anaesthetists.

Appreciating the efforts of Devananda, Rajagiri Hospital waived off her medical expenses including donor surgery, the statement added.

(With agency inputs)