Bengaluru engineer’s organ donation saves multiple lives after his tragic demise
Bengaluru (PTI): A grieving single mother’s decision to donate the organs of her son, who tragically lost his life following a road accident on March 15, helped save six lives.
Rekha Rao, a resident of Rajaji Nagar, said her 33-year-old son, Rakesh Kumar S, wanted to meet his friend on that fateful day, but his two-wheeler skidded and fell, the severity of head and facial injuries rendering him unconscious immediately. Passersby took him to a local hospital, she added.
Rao, who had lost her husband 25 years ago, said despite her numbing grief, she wanted to do the right thing by Rakesh. “I find some comfort knowing that the decision to donate his organs will give others a chance to live,” Rao told PTI.
She said after being denied a bed in ICU in Nimhans, where she was advised to take her son, she had finally got him shifted to Apollo Hospital in Seshadripuram.
“But I was told that his brain eventually gave up on him,” she added.
His attending neurosurgeons from Apollo -- Dr B Ravi Mohan Rao and Dr Karthikeyan Y R -- said the severe head and face injuries increased pressure on his brain, causing significant complications, including a shift in part of his brain, and resulting in an extremely low level of consciousness, indicating a critical condition.
Despite prompt medical intervention and the dedicated efforts of the hospital's medical team, his condition deteriorated.
After confirming the patient’s brain death through multiple apnea tests, Rao was given the option of organ donation, said the doctors.
“We are honoured to have played a role in this life-saving process. Each of these generous donations will make a profound difference for patients in need of critical organ transplants, offering new hope and life-saving treatments,” said Dr Rao.
He also pointed out that according to the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) report, there are more than 4,000 patients in Bengaluru who are waiting for organ transplants.
"Donation will significantly contribute to saving lives and addressing the critical shortage of available organs for those in need,” he added.
As for Rakesh, his liver and two kidneys were transplanted at Apollo Hospitals, Seshadripuram, providing life-saving treatments to patients with liver and kidney failure, said Dr Karthikeyan.
His corneas were donated to restore sight to individuals suffering from blindness or severe vision impairment and his heart valves have already been used in heart valve replacement surgery and his skin was donated to Victoria Hospital, where it has been used in the treatment of burn victims and patients requiring skin grafts to aid in their recovery, he added.
Incidentally, Rakesh, worked as an engineer in the next-gen health care field.
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Bihar CM removes hijab from newly appointed doctor's face at govt event, stokes controversy
Patna (PTI): A newly recruited AYUSH doctor in Bihar was taken aback on Monday when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar pulled the hijab (veil) off her face, while she was receiving her letter of appointment.
The incident, a video clip of which has gone viral on social media, took place at ‘Samvad’, the CM's secretariat, where appointment letters were given away to more than 1,000 AYUSH doctors.
PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the video.
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According to the CMO, the appointees included 685 Aurveda doctors, while 393 were Homeopaths and 205 practised the Unani system of medicine.
Out of them, 10 appointees were handed over job letters by Kumar, while the rest got those online.
When it was the turn of Nusrat Parveen, who had turned up wearing a hijab across her face, the 75-year-old CM frowned and exclaimed "what is this?".
The chief minister, who stood atop a raised platform, then bent down and pulled the hijab down.
The flustered appointee was, thereafter, hastily pulled aside by an official present on the occasion, while Deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, who stood beside Kumar, was seen tugging at the latter's sleeve, in an apparent bid to restrain him.
Meanwhile, opposition parties like the RJD and Congress shared the video clip on their social media accounts, and claimed that the incident was the latest proof of the JD(U) supremo's "unstable mental health".
A video showed Nitish Kumar pulling down a doctor's hijab after handing over an appointment letter to her at a Patna event. The video, which is going viral on social media, has sparked widespread outrage.#NitishKumar #Hijab #ViralVideo #IndiaTodayShorts pic.twitter.com/NdCzNgz8bY
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) December 15, 2025
