As they say, Necessity is the mother of invention, in the case of replanting the amputated organs this phrase deems fit. After the famous case of ASI Harjeet Singh, whose severed hand that the PGIMER team of Plastic surgeons replanted and it became a national story, PGIMER got trafficked with severed organ cases in peak Covid period. People from far-off places started approaching PGIMER either physically or by phone calls. This made the PGIMER Plastic Surgery department think of a solution to the emerging problem before them. A problem that every sufferer and his/her family faces when these accidents happen that where should they go, and how to preserve the organ, and by when one shall reach the hospital so that an affected organ could get replantation?
PGIMER Plastic Surgery department initiated a Data Bank of such centres where plastic surgeons are working.
The department chalked down the list of such centres from across the country and started a Helpline number 7087007677, that will help the needy one in many ways like when there is any damage to the organ then which centre nearby their location, can preserve their organ in Golden Time. “Golden Time is the duration of time in which an affected organ can be replanted and maximum benefit can be targeted. Like if a hand gets chopped, it is better to reach the hospital within three hours with a preserved chopped hand. There are different time duration for different kinds of severed organs, in our helpline, we make attendants understand how to preserve organs in case there is no speciality available around them or where they can go in case they are far from our centre,” says Dr R.K. Sharma, Head Plastic Surgery, PGIMER, Chandigarh.