December 19: We as a nation are proud of the fact that India is a land of religion and culture. The Jehovah Witnesses are one such religion that has distinctive beliefs. You must be wondering why we are discussing Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Well, following specific religious beliefs can sometimes be challenging, especially when it is about saving lives. It becomes challenging for our doctors to abide by them while also trying to protect the lives of their patients. However, doctors are heroes who put in a lot of effort and overcome all challenges since nothing matters more to them than their patients’ well-being and satisfaction.
The Jehovah Witness religion is a Christian denomination with millions of members in more than 200 countries worldwide. Jehovah’s Witnesses are well-known for their refusal to receive blood transfusions, which may lead to various challenges for medical practitioners involved in the treatment and management of Jehovah’s Witness patients.
Jehovah’s Witnesses believe that it is against God’s will to receive blood and, therefore, they refuse blood transfusions, often even if it is their own blood. Jehovah’s Witnesses who voluntarily undergo blood transfusions have occasionally experienced expulsion from their religious group.
When such rare cases occur, it becomes difficult for doctors to operate on Jehovah’s Witness patients or provide them with the necessary care. We will highlight one such Cardiac Surgeon known Dr. Abhay Jain, who, without breaking their religious belief, successfully completed the surgery.
A 62-year-old patient was suffering from coronary artery disease and several other diseases.. The patient was a Jehovah Witness, where blood transfusion is prohibited. A medical practitioner and Cardiac Surgeon, Dr. Abhay Jain, performed this high-risk Bypass Surgery and successfully did total arterial bypass grafting without blood transfusion. The patient got discharged and was happy and satisfied with his surgery.
