Kolkata, October 15, 2016: Global Hospitals, pioneers of multi-organ transplantation in India, has successfully proven that patients who have undergone a liver transplant can lead a normal and healthy life post surgery. The Hospital has successfully performed complex liver transplant surgeries at Global Health City, Chennai on the patients from West Bengal.
These surgeries were performed by Prof. Mohamed Rela, Director – Institute of Liver Disease & Transplantation, Global Hospitals and his team of specialists on patients who suffered from critical liver illness.
Liver diseases are considered to be the third most frequent cause of death in India. Mr. Jyotirmoy Sarkar from Kolkata, 57 years, had decompensated liver disease. He suffered from liver damage and was on medication for around ten years. Mr. Sajan Goyal also from Kolkata, at the age of 60 underwent a complex liver transplant surgery last year after he was kept on medication and under observation for a year. With medical expertise and techniques at Global Health City, both the patients like many others who were operated are now leading a normal life without any further complications. Prior to their surgeries these patients were not able to do even basic daily routine works, but today post their liver transplant their quality of life has improved dramatically.
Global Hospitals across its hospitals has performed around 1,500 liver transplants including patients from West Bengal. Taking into account the success rate and world class technology available, Global Hospitals has also undertaken a campaign to raise awareness about liver diseases across locations where the hospital has a presence or in regions where they have offered treatment to patients.
Commenting on the campaign, Dr. K Ravindranath, Chairman and Managing Director, Global Hospitals said, “Global Hospitals is a multi-super specialty, tertiary care hospital chain, which performs liver, heart, lung, kidney organ transplants. We have performed around 1,500 liver transplants including patients from West Bengal and its neighboring States till date. We ensure that with our largest team of specialists that comprises of Hepatologists, Liver transplant Surgeons, Critical Care Specialists and Anesthetists, supported by world class infrastructure and technologies are able to deliver exceptional patient care.”
“Our surgeons perform the widest variety of transplants procedures on both adult and pediatric patients such as split liver, auxiliary liver, swap liver. These are performed through both cadaveric organ and live related donor programmes. I am grateful to patients and their family for the confidence and trust reposed in us. Media has also played an important role in enhancing awareness amongst people about liver diseases, causes & prevention and transplantation as a unique solution to save patients with end-stage liver diseases,” Dr. Ravindranath added.
India is home to 11 per cent of the world’s patients affected with Chronic Hepatitis B and the number of deaths from liver cancer or cirrhosis each year range between 100,000 and 200,000. It is estimated that about two lakh people are diagnosed with end stage liver disease each year and about 0.02 per cent population (25000) need liver transplants every year.
Prof. Mohamed Rela, Director – Institute of Liver Disease & Transplantation, Global Hospitals, said, “Our journey started in March 2010, when our first patient from West Bengal underwent liver transplant for end stage liver disease. Over the last seven years, we have helped more than 50 patients from West Bengal with serious and life-threatening problems of the liver and pancreas get back to a healthy life through major lifesaving surgeries such as liver transplantation and liver resections. Our success rate being over 95 per cent which is equal to better than most established Western centres, reflects the skills and commitment of a team of over 100 medical professionals.”
“At Global Hospitals we have a very good and effective liver transplant program. Our liver transplantation program is the only program in the country where ten year or more follow-up is available for transplant recipients. The commonest indication for transplant patient is advanced liver disease or cirrhosis, followed by those who have liver cancer and for whom the best treatment is liver transplant. About five to ten per cent of liver transplants happen for acute liver failure,” Prof. Rela added.
Prof. Rela concluded it is important to note that some liver problems can be prevented by vaccination and some just by leading a healthy lifestyle. Hepatitis B is one such example, which is the commonest cause of chronic liver disease in India and even thought the vaccine is very cheap, even then we do not have it in our universal immunization program. –PTI
