Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has taken serious note of the uncertainty over the future of liver transplantation services at the state-run SCB MCH in Cuttack due to the lapse of a crucial partnership agreement.
On July 18, the division bench comprising Justice SK Sahoo and Justice V Narasingh sought clarity on the issue from the hospital authorities. During the hearing, SCB MCH superintendent Prof Goutam Satapathy informed the court that no eligible patient had been denied transplantation solely due to the expiration of the MoU with AIG, Hyderabad, from April 1, 2025.
He assured the bench that efforts were underway to finalise a new MoU with MGM Healthcare, Chennai, to ensure continuity of the life-saving service. The court has scheduled the next hearing for July 31, stressing the urgency of the matter.
The liver transplant unit at SCB MCH was established in 2022, backed by a sanctioned fund of Rs 22 crore. The goal was to provide liver transplants free of cost to the people of Odisha.
Under the original MoU, a team from AIG Hyderabad provided technical and procedural support to SCB MCH to conduct two liver transplants - the first on April 3, 2024, and the second on September 9, 2024. The collaboration was designed to continue until the hospital developed its own fully-trained transplant team. However, the current vacuum in specialised trained staff has raised concerns about the sustainability of the programme.