BHUBANESWAR: Even as two years have passed since announcement of the liver transplant unit at AIIMS-Bhubaneswar, the facility is yet to become operational.
Sanctioned at an estimated cost of Rs 13.5 crore in January 2023, construction of the unit was scheduled to be completed in a year. A specialised team of surgeons and nursing officers had already undergone advanced training to handle the transplant procedures.
However, despite approval of the project by the 13th Standing Finance Committee (SFC) of the Union Health Ministry two years back, the 10-bed liver transplant ICU remains incomplete, primarily due to the alleged administrative apathy.
Sources said, the tender for the ICU construction was floated only in December 2024, almost two years after approval. During her first visit to the institute last month, AIIMS president Dr Anita Saxena had reviewed the progress and the vendor reportedly assured completion by October 15.
However, vital life-support and surgical equipment including ventilators, high-end monitors and a cavitron ultrasonic surgical aspirator (CUSA) are yet to be procured. After the ICU is ready, it will take at least a month for fumigation, air quality testing, infection control measures and biomedical calibration before the unit can become functional. At this rate, it is unlikely to be operational before January, the sources added.
As the institute struggles to move the project forward, several patients who were shortlisted for liver transplantation reportedly died waiting. “The announcement had given us hope. We were told AIIMS would start liver transplants soon and that it would be affordable for us. We kept waiting, visiting the hospital every few months, but it never happened,” said a relative of a patient, who succumbed to liver cirrhosis a few months ago.
Ahead of the full-fledged unit, the institute in February opened a dedicated liver clinic within the gastroenterology department, to screen and prepare patients for transplants. A liver transplant in private hospitals now costs between Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh. The cost of the procedure will come down to around Rs 5 lakh at AIIMS, while patients with Ayushman Bharat card may have to spend even lesser.
Executive director of AIIMS Dr Ashutosh Biswas said the work is in its final stage and efforts are on to make the unit functional as soon as possible. “The liver transplant ICU setup is nearing completion and procurement of a few critical instruments is underway. Since the liver unit is a critical establishment, we cannot take any chances. Every aspect is being properly checked. Once operational, the facility will be among the most advanced in eastern India,” he added.
