Odisha to start liver transplant unit at SCB hospital

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Cuttack, May 29:

In the wake of number of poor patients moving outside Odisha for high-cost surgery to transplant liver, the state government has decided to set up a liver transplant unit at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.

The liver transplantation centre will be operational from this year. All the preparation for the centre is in the final stage. The Operation Theatre (OT) and ICU have already been built and gas pipeline connection is yet to be done. It is expected to be functional by end of this year if everything goes smoothly, said the hospital sources.

The decision was made in May 2013. Accordingly, the Directorate of Medical Education & Training (DMET) was directed to start construction of a modular OT and ICU on fourth floor of the trauma care building at SCB in October 2013.

The government had provided Rs 21.58 crore funds for the proposed centre and for purchasing equipments of other departments. The Surgical Gastroenterology department had purchased all its equipments from that fund.

Recently, a team of SCB medical and hospital comprising of the members of Surgical Gastroenterology, Hepatology, Anesthesia, Radiology, Pathology and Paramedical departments have returned from Delhi-based Sir Ganga Ram Hospital after getting training.

There will be no issues in functioning of the liver transplantation centre at SCB as the staff have been trained in Delhi. With the operation of the unit, poor patients will be able to have liver transplantation at affordable cost, sources said.

While the liver transplant cost comes around Rs 25 lakh in private hospitals, the transplantation process at SCB will be conducted at the cost between Rs 6-7 lakh from the state government’s fund. The liver will be transplanted in the patient after death of a person, who will be interested for body donation. Besides, the liver can be borrowed from the relative of the patient and will be transplanted in his body.