A Sikh girl in J&K wants to donate her kidney to her Muslim friend suffering from organ failure, but objections from her family and a hospital here are delaying the procedure, prompting them to approach court.
Manjot Singh Kohli (23), a social activist from the Udhampur area of the Jammu region, has decided to donate her kidney to her 22-year-old friend Samreen Akhtar, a resident of Rajouri district.
“We have been friends for four years and I am emotionally attached to her. Also, it is my strong belief in humanity that is motivating me to donate my organ,” Manjot said.
“Samreen never told me about her illness and I came to know through a mutual friend. She has been my friend and supporter in my tough times and I decided to donate a kidney to her when she needs it,” Kohli said.
Samreen said she was grateful to her friend for the selfless act.
They, however, said doctors at the Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Soura, were delaying the procedure by creating “unnecessary hurdles”.
“The SKIMS authorities are creating hurdles and delaying the procedure even as the authorisation committee for organ donation has cleared both of us for the transplant procedure. I do not know why we are being pushed to the wall by doctors and the SKIMS administration,
Dr Omar Shah, Director, SKIMS, said the committee was looking into the issue.
“We will do whatever we can. The authorisation committee has informed me that there are legalities involved and it needs some more paper work before it takes a decision,” Shah said.
Manjot said while she thought SKIMS might be apprehensive about the procedure because the donor belonged to a different religion, she said her family had also sent a notice to the hospital, saying they didn’t approve of her decision.
“My family has sent a notice to SKIMS and may never give the consent. But I am an adult and can decide for myself. I am legally eligible to donate and I do not need family’s consent,” she said. She said they would approach the court on Saturday. (PTI)
