M I Shanavas, Congress leader and MP, is no more, but several questions remain over his death following a liver transplant at a private hospital in Chennai. His daughter Amina, who donated a part of her liver to him, reveals more about the matter.

Shanavas scribbled some words on a letter pad from his hospital bed, “How is my daughter? When is she being shifted to the room? Why is the creatine level in my body so high? Why is my ECG taken so many times? What is my real problem? Why isn’t the newspaper given to me?”

Even while in the ICU Shanavas felt that something was really wrong with him. Amina still has not been able to find the answers to the questions raised by Shanavas. But recalling the sequence of events, Amina is certain that Shanavas would have lived, “if the liver transplant was carried out in some other hospital; if a team of expert doctors from Apollo hospital had examined him as suggested by K C Venugopal MP and other leaders.”

A big 'if' remains over the last days of Shanavas. Eight years ago doctors had told him that he had liver cancer. They predicted that he may not live beyond two months. However, Shanavas did not lose hope and demanded that more tests be conducted. Finally, it was proved that he was not suffering from cancer and lived for eight years more.

Risky choices

However, Amina is not certain whether the decisions Shanavas took recently were entirely correct.

It was after the severe flood witnessed in the state that Shanavas' condition worsened. Doctors had suggested immediate transplant of liver, but Shanavas continued in Wayanad for over a month and a half engaged in relief work. His liver might have become much weaker during this time, feels Amina.

Shanavas later reached his house at Ernakulam North and discussed his health condition with brother Dr Junaid Rehman sitting in the office room on the upper floor. The MP was concerned over who would donate the liver. Hearing the words, Amina offered to do that.

'Botched transplant may have claimed Cong leader MI Shanavas' life'
Shanavas' daughter Amina donated a part of her liver to him.
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Shanavas and Junaid were shocked and tried to dissuade her. But she did not yield and even informed her husband, Kochi Metro Rail MD Mohammed Hanish, about the decision only two days later.

Amina’s decision was not surprising. Everybody knew that Amina and Shanavas shared a deep bond. Procedures were carried out quickly after that and father and daughter went to Chennai during the last week of October. Shanavas was adamant that a doctor who was close to him should carry out the surgery at a hospital in Chrompet. But the hospital was inaugurated only a week earlier and Amina expressed doubts seeing the dust prevailing everywhere there.

She asked Shanavas whether the transplant couldn’t be postponed. But Shanavas was firm that he would not change his decision.

Amina
Amina looks at the writings of her father from hospital bed.

Crucial phase

On October 27, Shanavas returned to Ernakulam and completed all the formalities at a fast pace. He even approached the district collector who was on leave for the purpose.

On October 31, Shanavas reached Chennai along with all family members and was admitted to the hospital the next day. Initially, they were shown a video on the transplant which explained the chances of success. While Amina’s surgery lasted 8 hours, that of Shanavas extended to 13 hours.

From November 3, Shanavas became active. He wrote on a letter pad about things he needed. He got his spectacles and read the newspaper. Concerned that Amina would be suffering pain, he summoned the doctors and asked them to take good care of her.

However, Amina says that a lingering thought of danger bothered Shanavas. Though he raised several questions about creatine level and ECG, nobody gave him satisfactory replies.

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On the morning of November 5, Shanavas lost his consciousness. He regained it only on November 13. Doctors said that an infection had occurred to the transplanted liver. By November 11, K C Venugopal and other leaders intervened and said that an expert team from Apollo hospital should examine Shanavas. But the hospital authorities did not agree and said that they would do all that was necessary. On November 13, Shanavas seemed to become ok and Amina met him on November 16.

Final lap

“Bappa wanted to say something to me. I gave him a piece of paper. He tried to scribble on it but his hand was shaking. I waited for an hour. But he wrote nothing. He simply held my hand. In the evening, I went to the ICU again. He had not still written anything on the paper. Finally, he scribbled the letter ‘W’. Bappa always liked to wear his watch. When I gave it to him, he was happy,” says Amina.

Though Shanavas was in the ICU his health condition improved over the next six days. He was shifted from the ventilator on November 17. His brother visited him the next day and noted that the blood pressure of Shanavas was falling dangerously.

Amina and her husband Mohammed Hanish explain what happened next. “Dashing our hopes, Shanavas was moved again to the ventilator on November 19. It was too late to realize that MDR – Klebsiella, a deadly microbe, had affected him, most probably from the ICU,” they reveal. Drugs were even imported to save Shanavas, but he breathed his last at 1.35 am on November 21.

Destiny or error?

“We have doubts now whether something that should never have happened in a hospital occurred in Shanavas’ case. But everything hangs on fate. We console ourselves with this thought and have no complaints about anything,” says Mohammed Haneesh.

For Amina, she has lost her best friend in life. “I could take up any topic with my Bappa. I told him everything. Even my husband comes after that. I was his favourite. I tell my daughter Ayisha to learn from our relationship,” she says.

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“I want to complete the tasks started by Bappa. He was among the politicians who studied every issue deeply. All said that his demise was a big loss for the party,” winds up Amina.

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