Prison officer’s family agrees to donate nine organs

In a selfless gesture, the family of a prison officer, grieving his untimely death, has come forward to donate nine of his organs.

A.R. Anish, assistant prison officer at Central Prison, Poojappura, died on Wednesday. His heart, lungs, kidneys, pancreas, liver, hand, and retinas will be donated.

One kidney, heart, and lungs, and the retinas will go to patients at Government Medical College Hospital (MCH), Kottayam; one kidney, pancreas, and hand to Amrita hospital in Kochi, and the liver to Caritas hospital, Kottayam.

The kidney, heart, and lungs will be transplanted on a single day at Kottayam MCH, reportedly a first for a government hospital in the country.

Anish, 38, from Poozhanad in Thiruvananthapuram, was returning after Darshan at Sabarimala when he sustained a head injury at Pampa on October 17. He was first taken to hospital in Pathanamthitta and then to Kottayam MCH where he was declared brain dead on Wednesday.

He is survived by his mother Ambika Kumari and sisters.

Minister for Health Veena George thanked thanked Anish’s family for agreeing to donate his organs.