Docs Call for Better Organ Transplants Process

HYDERABAD: Complex liver transplants and a kidney transplant, involving seven surgeries in less than 40 hours, were performed by a team of doctors at Apollo Health City in October.

The surgeries were performed on four terminally ill patients at the end stage of their life, who have since recovered. While lauding the effort of his team of doctors, Dr Hari Prasad, CEO - Central Region, Apollo Hospitals, called for an institutional government body to simplify the process of transplants for ailing patients. “Today health is a state subject and laws have to be passed to felicitate transplants. Liver or kidney transplants require the approval of an institutional government body when it is a live donor.

Currently there is a central body for all hospitals. Due to this, it is a long process for patients who require transplants and they are often running up and down to sort out the paperwork,” said  Prasad, while addressing newsmen on Thursday.

‘’With the volume of transplant cases increasing significantly, this process has become a hassle for the patients. An approval body has been set up at the institutional level in Delhi, and I would request the state government to implement it here,” he added.

The four transplants included three cadaver transplant and one live donor liver transplant.

Doctors stressed on the complexity of the procedure and the importance of being extra cautious at every step of the way. “During transplants, timing is critical to ensure the quality of the organ is intact after is removed from the donor’s body. If the organ stays outside for too long, then the recipient may require more blood products and may not immediately be removed from the ventilators. Hence, one must assess if the organ can withstand, before performing the transplant,” explained Dr Manish C Verma, liver transplant surgeon, Apollo Health City.

The patients, 44-year-old Ketan Ramesh Patel from Gujarat, a US-based 47-year-old Mahendra Kumar Kar and Dynandev Warula, a 52-year-old from Maharashtra, were critically ill and were desperately awaiting liver transplants. The first two had cadaver livers’ transplanted, while Dynandev Warule got his liver from his son.

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