KOCHI: Syro-Malabar Church head Cardinal Mar George Alencherry on Tuesday visited the medical team at Lisie Hospital that successfully performed a heart transplantation the other day.
Lauding the medical team, Alencherry said God was with Dr Jose Chacko Periappuram, the cardiac surgeon who led the surgery. “The success of the surgery is an achievement for the State’s healthcare sector”, he said, and appreciated Bhaskar Renganathan, Jacob Abraham, Jeevesh J Thomas, Job Wilson, Grace Maria and the other doctors who were part of the team.
The Cardinal also visited Bindu, wife of Mathew Achadan who received the harvested heart that was brought from Thiruvananthapuram in a Naval aircraft. “An act of goodwill will give birth to a lot of other such deeds. The success is the result of the combined effort by many. The government’s plan to make air ambulance permanent gives much hope,” he said.
“We are grateful for the support and encouragement we got from everyone,” said Dr Jose Chacko. Meanwhile, Mathew Achadan was given solid food on Tuesday, the first time after the surgery. “The doctors mobilised him. His organs are functioning normally,” said Dr Jose.