Mumbai: In a rare feat for Mumbai’s organ donation programme, the families of two women declared brain dead at the same hospital consented to donate their organs on the same day, giving a new lease of life to eight patients with end-stage organ failure.On Friday, a 39-year-old woman who suffered a severe traumatic brain injury in a road accident was declared brain dead at H N Reliance Foundation Hospital, Girgaum, and her family agreed to donate her lungs, heart, liver and kidneys. On the same day, the family of a 59-year-old stroke patient agreed to donate her liver and kidneys after she was declared brain dead at the same hospital.The women’s donations provided a fresh lease of life to eight patients with end-stage organ failure. The recipient of the lungs was admitted in the HN Hospital’s ICU in a critical condition when the organs were assigned to him by the Zonal Transplantation Coordination Centre (ZTCC).Five of the eight transplants were carried out in H N Hospital itself, while the heart donation was sent to UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology in Ahmedabad. Two of the four donated kidneys were sent to patients registered at Jaslok Hospital on Pedder Road and Apollo Hospital in Nerul, respectively. The family also donated tissues and corneas.Hospital CEO Dr Tarang Gianchandani described the twin donations as “a rare milestone”, thanking the donor families for their generosity. She thanked the state-run JJ Hospital dean Dr Ajay Bhandarwar for his support throughout the organ retrieval and allocation process as well as Mumbai Police commissioner Shri Deven Bharti and the Mumbai Police. “Their exceptional coordination in creating green corridors ensured the timely transportation of organs, giving critically ill patients the best possible opportunity for transplantation,” she added.With Friday’s donations, the city has witnessed 32 cadaver organ donations this year so far. In 2025, the city had 53 donations in all.ZTCC President Dr Surendra Mathur said motivating two unrelated families to consent to organ donation on the same day was commendable. However, he cautioned that Mumbai’s cadaver organ donation programme has remained largely stagnant. “While both Mumbai and Pune ZTCCs have managed to keep the donations flowing, there has been little activity from other parts of the state,” he said.Dr Mathur said Tamil Nadu continues to outperform Maharashtra because 60%-70% of its organ donations come from govt hospitals, compared with less than 5% in Maharashtra.
