Double hand transplant patient given ward manager’s job in govt hospital

After suffering grievous injuries to both his hands following a workplace accident in 2015, it is unlikely that R Narayanasamy had any hope of leading a normal life. Today, the 30-year-old has two functional hands, and a job as ward manager at the Dindigul Government Hospital, the appointment for which was given to him by Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami on Monday.

Four years ago, Narayanasamy, a mason from Dindigul, had burnt his hands when he came in close contact with a high-tension wire at a construction site where he was working. He and his family were shattered, as it was believed that he would never be able to work again. That was when the Hand Transplant Department at the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital received a call informingabout the availability of hands from a cadaver for transplant. That gave new hopes not just to him, but to the doctors as well.

Soon after the kin of the brain dead person agreed to donate the hands, Narayanasamy was rushed to Chennai from Madurai on a flight. On February 7, 2018, a team of doctors led by Dr V Ramadevi, head of the Plastic Surgery department of the Stanley hospital, performed the surgery on Narayanasamy – the first in the history of a government hospital. The procedure took 13 long hours, recalled Dr Ramadevi.

“The limbs have resumed functioning to some extent. He had to undergo a series of physiotherapy sessions to help him gain some movement in his hands. He is able to feel sensation in his hands, but he must continue to undergo therapy to help him be able to use his hands perfectly. As of now, he can now lift his hand, turn on switches off, make calls and pick up a cup among other tasks,” the doctor added.

Being the first in the State to undergo hand transplant at a government hospital, it was a moment of pride for all those who treated him. “His joy knew no bound after he saw his hands following the transplant. When the government promised him a job, it boosted his morale further,” said a doctor from Stanley Medical College Hospital.