CHENNAI: Having performed over 500 paediatric liver transplantations in Chennai, Prof Mohammed Rela and team, Rela Institute & Medical Centre, was recognised as South Asia’s largest paediatric liver transplantation programme.
To commemorate this milestone, Ma Subramanian, Minister for Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare, and Durai Murugan, Minister for Water Resources, Government of Tamil Nadu, and delegates from Oman participated in the ‘Celebration of Hope’.
A coffee table book detailing the transplantation stories and the complex surgical journey in the field of paediatric liver transplantation was also launched. Children who underwent liver transplantation showcased their talents, proving their life is now normal.
“Our government’s and chief minister’s vision of making healthcare affordable to every citizen of the state has led to performing more than 50 paediatric liver transplantations under the CMCHIS scheme. (We) Must thank Dr Rela for taking this initiative and supporting the government’s cause,” said Ma Subramanian.
Prof Rela, chairman and MD, Rela Hospital, addressing the gathering, said, “Liver transplantation in children was unheard of and have seen many families suffer. Now, to see how this is made available to the neediest too, I must thank the Government of Tamil Nadu for their relentless support.
Our government has always been at the forefront of healthcare services and I congratulate them for that. Now, not only our government but other countries are also realising that liver transplantation is not a challenge anymore. We have come forward in our endeavour to make liver transplantation the new normal.”