CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu health department, on behalf of State government hospitals, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rela Hospital, in Chrompet, for liver and bone marrow transplants and treatment on Wednesday. The MoU was signed by J Radhakrishnan, Health Secretary and Dr Mohammed Rela, chairman of Rela Hospital in the presence of Health Minister Ma Subramanian.
Under the MoU, liver transplants will be performed for the first time in Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (RGGGH), Coimbatore Medical College Hospital and Madurai Government Medical College Hospital, and in the Institute of Child Health, Egmore.
A fresh MoU was also signed between the Government Stanley Medical College Hospital and Rela Hospital. The Government Stanley Medical College Hospital has been doing liver transplants since 2009 but it was affected due to the pandemic. “We will start liver transplants at Stanley immediately and in RGGGH, in another three months,” said Dr Mohammed Rela.
Speaking to reporters, the health minister said, Rs 19 lakh was allotted under Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance scheme for liver transplant surgeries. Also, Rs 3 lakh cover will be given for bone marrow transplants under the CMCHIS. Under the MoU, government doctors will be given training in transplants, Subramanian said.
Dr Mohammed Rela said paediatric cases requiring liver transplants will be identified at the Institute of Child Health and it will be done at the Rela Hospital initially. Under the previous MoU with the Stanley Hospital, 32 liver transplants were performed with a 100 per cent survival rate, Dr Mohammed Rela said.
Meanwhile, a press release from Rela Hospital said, the association will be broadly based on providing training opportunities for the students at the government medical colleges and supporting the liver transplant programmes at government hospitals.
Health camps will also be conducted at regular intervals to identify new cases and create awareness among the public, the release said. According to health department data, a total of 318 patients are waiting for liver transplants in the State.