Now, liver transplants at KEM

For those who cannot afford liver transplants in private hospitals, there’s reason to cheer.

KEM Hospital, run by BMC, will start liver transplants from live as well as cadaver donors. And a patient will have to pay only one-fifth of a private hospital’s charges.

Twenty medical professionals from the hospital, including surgeons, nurses, intensivists, and anaesthetists, were recently trained in New Delhi on harvesting liver from cadaver donors. “The team learnt surgical expertise, intra-operative anaesthesia and post-operative care,” Dr Sanjay Oak, the dean of KEM Hospital, said.

In Mumbai, Wockhardt Hospital at Mulund is the only centre where liver transplants have been done successfully. “The charges can go up to Rs25 lakh. And this is one of the major deterrents in such transplants,” Oak said. “There are times when mothers are willing to donate a portion of their liver to their babies. But, many cannot afford the money involved in such a transplant.”

KEM should start transplants by December, Oak said. Two operation theatres will specifically cater to such cases.

Zonal Transplant Coordination Center (ZTCC) reports say there’s a waiting list of 50 patients in the city. “Unlike in kidney transplants, patients in need of a liver transplant die within one year,” Dr Vatsala Trivedi from ZTCC said. The doctor said emphasis should be given on cadaver donations as live donors are at a greater risk. “Live transplants can have a high mortality rate.”