Kidney chains in India, and a millionaire nondirected donor

Kidney chains are coming to India, and one of the first (maybe the first) non-directed donors is a millionaire businessman: Kidney donation chain bank set up in Trichur

"19 January 2011 TRIVANDRUM — A leading industrialist in Kerala has set into motion a novel kidney donation chain by deciding to donate one of his kidneys to a stranger.

"Kochouseph Chittilapally, owner of V-Guard group of companies, signed the papers to donate his kidney to 48-year-old Joy from Palai on the occasion of the launch of a kidney bank at Trichur on Monday.

"The bank was set up by the Kidney Federation of India (KFI), founded by Fr Davis Chiramel, who had shown the way by donating one of his kidneys to a stranger one-and-half-years ago. The kidney chain — the first of its kind in India — is possible because of a new type of organ donation called a paired donation, in which a person who needs a kidney can get one by bringing up a donor.

"Joy became eligible to get the kidney after his wife, Jolly, agreed to donate her kidney to one Shamsuddin. His wife, Sainaba, will give her kidney to one John, and whose mother in turn will donate her kidney to Baiju.

"The chain ended here as Baiju could not get a donor among his close relatives. Fr Chiramel is not disappointed. He said he will be able to launch another chain shortly as there were people willing to donate their kidneys. “I was flooded with calls after the kidney bank was launched. Out of 150 callers I had till Tuesday afternoon, 10 were willing to donate their kidneys. We will get them medically examined and put them in the chain if they are fit to donate their kidneys,” the priest said."

Here's another story: Crorepati’s kidney in donor chain

HT: Nikhil Agarwal