CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court has directed the state government to act swiftly on resumption of liver transplant surgeries at SCB Medical College and Hospital (SCBMCH), Cuttack, after operations were halted due to the expiry of a key agreement with the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG), Hyderabad.
During a hearing on July 31, the bench of Justice SK Sahoo and Justice V Narasingh emphasised the urgency of restarting the life-saving procedures. “Liver transplantations are very crucial and cannot be deferred indefinitely,” the court observed, urging the state to provide a timeline for government approval and recommencement of surgeries.
The court took on record a submission by additional DMET and nodal officer for organ transplant, Umakant Satapathy, who appeared virtually and informed that a proposal for a new MoU with MGM Hospital, Chennai, for 30 liver transplants is awaiting government clearance.
Meanwhile, the bench instructed the government to consider reviving the previous arrangement with AIG, Hyderabad, to ensure patient care does not remain disrupted “An affidavit in this regard shall be filed by August 5,” the order said, with the next hearing scheduled for August 7.
The affidavit must detail the number of patients currently awaiting liver transplants, cases disposed of in the past three months, and include minutes of the SCBMCH authorisation committee over the last six months.