Mann Ki Baat: PM Modi lauds couple who donated organs of 39-day-old daughter after demise

Addressing the nation on Sunday in the 99th episode of 'Mann Ki Baat' radio programme, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid emphasis on the importance of organ donation and mentioned that there are a large number of needy people who are waiting for organ donors. He also virtually invited a couple from Punjab to his show, who donated the organ of their daughter after she left the world at the age of 39 days.

The couple, identified as Sukhbir Singh Sandhu (father) and Supreet Kaur (mother), showed immense bravery in donating the organs of Ababat Kaur. PM Modi, while inviting the couple to the show, said, "After many prayers, the couple was blessed with a very beautiful girl child…a doll-like daughter. The people of the household lovingly named her Ababat Kaur. The connotation of Ababat is related to the service of others…it is related to ameliorating the sufferings of others. When she was only thirty-nine days old, she left this world." 

What led to the demise of Ababat? 

According to Ababat's parents, she had a bunch of nerves in her brain and the size of her heart was also bigger than the normal size. For the first 24 days, the child was normal and suddenly she developed problems in the heart. The parents rushed her to a hospital where a team of doctors revived her out of heart problems. Noting down that such a small kid had big heart issues, the doctors took some time to identify the accurate problem related to her heart health.

Sukhbir said, "She was healthy & weighed 4 kgs at birth. However, after 24 days she suffered a cardiac arrest & stopped breathing. We panicked, resorted to mouth-to-mouth resuscitation & rushed her to the hospital. Doctors revived her but she was diagnosed with a disease in her head which caused the size of her heart to increase gradually. She passed away when she was 39-day-old."

After her demise, her parents weepingly decided that they will donate her organs to the needy. "Maybe there would be light in someone else's life," the parents said in an emotional note to PM Modi during 'Mann Ki Baat'.

The parents of Ababta contacted the administrative block of PGI hospital to guide them in the further process. They learned that only the kidneys of such a small kid can be donated to the needy. Both brave couples decided to donate the kidneys of their daughter. "The almighty gave us the courage, it is the philosophy of Guru Nanak Saheb that guided us in this decision," the couple added. 

'Ababat is the youngest organ donor in India'

When PM Modi asked the couple what was going in their mind while taking this brave decision of organ donation, Sukhbir replied that he and his wife got the inspiration from a family friend who donated her organs. He went on to mention that when someone dies, the body is either burnt or buried, but if the organs of the person can be of some use, then it is a good deed.

Ababat's father also claimed that her daughter became the youngest organ donor in India. He said, "We felt more proud at that time when the doctors told us that your daughter had become the youngest donor in India whose organs had been successfully transplanted." 

PM Modi underlines importance of organ donation

While addressing the nation on Sunday, the PM mentioned that in India, the selfless charity has been placed so highly that people don't hesitate to donate all of their happiness to others. He also went on to mention that the NDA government at the Centre is working on a uniform policy in the country for organ donation. He also said that in 2013, there were less than 5000 cases of organ donation in India; but in 2022, this number has increased to more than 15,000. 

PM Modi said, "In this era of modern medical science, organ donation has become a very important means of giving life to someone. It is said that when a person donates his body after death, it creates a possibility for 8 to 9 people to get a new life. I am satisfied that work is being done on a uniform policy in the whole country to make organ donation easier and to encourage it. In this direction, it has also been decided to remove the domicile condition of the states. The government has also decided to remove the age limit below 65 years for organ donation."