Ensuring efficient organ transplant has been his goal

Chennai: Serving as a bridge between a patient with a failed organ and a transplant maybe be one among a few of vascular surgeon Dr J. Amalorpavanathan’s life’s goals.

Despite retirement knocking on his door on Monday, the doctor, who also serves as the convener of the Tamil Nadu Cadaver Transplant Programme, hopes to continue his service as long as he possible can.

The doctor has been helping the registry grow since its inception in 2008. He is known amongst his colleagues and doctors as ‘the backbone’ of the registry.

“The government had asked me to look after the programme in 2008. Since then, it has been a wonderful journey. Tamil Nadu was rocked by kidney scandal after the Tsunami, as many found this as the only means of earning some bucks. The network was, therefore, started to keep a check on it,” he said.

“My job mainly involves seeing that organs reach the right person at the right time. We distribute the organs according to the available waitlist for the whole state. Each organ has a different system of distribution – for which the waitlist is long as many know that the system is credible so they register and wait,” he said.
 Recalling a case, he said, “The assistant to cardiac surgeon Dr K.M. Cherian, also a cardiac surgeon, had collapsed in Madurai and was declared brain dead. Dr Cherian flew all the way to Madurai, took the heart and transplanted it in one of his patients.”

With his wife - who is also a doctor - and two children, being extremely supportive of his participation and dedication towards the programme, he was able to give in his all. “Nowadays, if I see people urinating in public places, I don’t become upset. I feel happy that their kidneys are working well,” joked the doctor about his obsession with organ failures.