CHENNAI: The health department is planning to introduce a living donor liver transplant programme in government hospitals. Such transplants are currently performed only in private hospitals, Health Minister KG Arunraj said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters after inspecting the Government Peripheral Hospital at Sholinganallur, Arunraj said TN is the only state in India to provide up to Rs 22 lakh for liver transplants under the CM’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme.
He said the department is planning to expand the hospital, and a Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Neonatal Care (CEmONC) centre will be set up as part of this, since many people from Sholinganallur and the surrounding areas have to travel all the way to the Government Kasturba Gandhi Hospital for Women and Children in Triplicane for deliveries.
Arunraj said the hospital is currently used by only a few people, and the department will raise awareness of its facilities so that the number of patients increases gradually.
The minister checked the attendance records of the medical staff and advised the management to take steps to introduce a biometric attendance system for doctors and staff. He also inquired about the facilities and equipment required to set up the CEmONC centre at the hospital.