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Indian Priest's Kidney Donation Leads to New Federation
By Anto Akkara
Source: Catholic News Service
Published: Wednesday, November 04, 2009
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TRICHUR, India (CNS)—Twenty-four-year-old Ramya Krishnan spent weeks of sleepless nights after doctors told her she needed at least 160,000 rupees ($3,400) to meet the cost of her kidney transplant.

"Though my father is willing to donate his kidney and all the tests have been completed, we do not have any money to meet the expenses" of the transplant surgery, Krishnan told Catholic News Service.

"I did not know what to do. Then I read a report in the newspapers about the launch of the Kidney Federation of India. So, I decided to attend this meeting," said Krishnan, who was abandoned by her husband three years ago when he discovered she was suffering from renal failure.

Krishnan was thrilled when she was told that she will be given 200,000 rupees by the organizers of the Kidney Federation of India, which launched Oct. 30 in the presence of more than 3,000 people, hundreds of whom suffer from kidney failure.

The unique gathering was the fruit of the unprecedented gesture of Father Davis Chiramel donating his kidney to a Hindu Sept. 30.

Father Chiramel's decision to save the life of 48-year-old Gopinathan Chakkamadathil, an electrician living within the boundaries of St. Francis Xavier Parish in Vadanappilly—made headlines and stirred the public conscience, leading to the launch of the kidney federation.
"I have not done anything to start this venture. I just responded to the cry of a dying man," Father Chiramel said Oct. 30.

"I am extremely happy and thankful to God and the public, who have responded enthusiastically irrespective of caste and creed to come forward and support this move," he added.

The priest recounted that a businessman friend phoned him and tried to dissuade him from donating the kidney because it was "dangerous."

"But when I persisted with my decision, he changed his mind and came forward to donate" money to meet the expenses for the transplant, Father Chiramel said. "This incident prompted me to form a network to tap such generous support to help families handicapped by kidney failure."

P.K. Sreemathi Teacher, Kerala state's health minister, congratulated Father Chiramel and presented him with a shawl, a sign of respect.

"I really appreciate the compassion of Father Davis to donate his kidney ... to one of another faith when kidneys are sold for lakhs (millions)," she said. "He has set a model for all of us."
"This is a very good move. I am happy that the priest could wake up public sympathy for people like us," said Chamallaparambil Assankutty, a Muslim who traveled more than 90 miles to attend the function.

Assankutty had undergone a kidney transplant from his wife nine months earlier, and his friends and neighbors collected more than half a million rupees to meet the expense.

Assankutty told CNS that the people's enthusiasm faded gradually, and he is now struggling to buy medicine.

"There should a network like this that would help people like us regularly," said Assankutty.

Father Chiramel said the aim of the new federation "is to ensure that relatives would come forward to donate a kidney to their needy kin. It will eliminate (the) unscrupulous thriving kidney trade."

John Cyriac, vice chairman of the kidney federation, told CNS that it distributed more than 1,000 free dialysis coupons at the launch and plans to provide 200,000 rupees for each of at least 10 kidney transplants every year in Kerala. Each day in Kerala, more than 10,000 people are surviving on dialysis.

Besides conducting awareness programs and facilitating paperwork for poor people who need transplants, Cyriac said, the federation will lobby the government to provide timely assistance for renal patients, subsidize transplant surgery and provide drugs at cheaper rates.

"Kidney failure is a major health problem in Kerala," said Father Francis Alappat, director of Jubilee Mission Medical College hospital in Trichur.

"We have a 24-hour dialysis facility that provides dialysis for 75 people daily," said Father Alappat. He said one-third of them receive the service free, with sponsorship from institutions and public donations.

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