R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, MAY 11
As many as 1,11,87,833 persons were benefitted under the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) till April 2022, said State Medical and Family Welfare Minister Ma Subramanian here on Tuesday.
The flagship scheme of the DMK government – Tamil Nadu Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme was launched by the then Chief Minister M Karunanidhi on July 9, 2009.
Addressing after honouring the team of doctors who had performed over 125 liver transplants during the pandemic at the Gleneagles Global Health City (GGHC) under the TNCMCHIS, the minister said the government has allocated a sum of Rs 1,289.21 crore for five years for this scheme.
The scheme which expired during January this year was renewed on January 10, 2022 with adding over 1,090 different types of diseases and 8 special treatments.
Besides the Innuyir Kappom and Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam schemes, the government plans to open 709 urban welfare centres across the state. Out of this, 200 welfare centres (one each in one corporation division) would be established. For this purpose the government has allocated Rs 180.45 crore. These welfare centres would be manned by a doctor, a nurse and a pharmacist. The centres would function between 8 am and 11 am and 4 pm to 8 pm every day, the minister added.
Congratulating the team of doctors, Ma Subramanian said, “It is very gratifying to watch so many patients, especially children, benefit from the TNCMCHIS. Seeking timely medical intervention can truly change one’s life drastically. Would like to congratulate the team of doctors here at Gleneagles Global Health City for performing 125 liver transplants on patients from across Tamil Nadu even during the pandemic.”
As per the data, of the total number of transplants performed – 70% of the patients were male and the remaining female.
- 6 months old baby and a 66-year-old patient have been identified as the youngest and oldest recipients of liver transplantation
Dr Joy Varghese, Director of Hepatology & Transplant Hepatology, Gleneagles Global Health City, said, “Patients, both adult & paediatric, from almost all the districts of Tamil Nadu have availed benefit from the TNCMCHIS. Out of the 125 total cases performed under the TNCMCHIS, 21 cases were acute liver failure and acute-on-chronic liver failure cases, where the TNCMCHIS team worked relentlessly to give Emergency Approvals for the Liver Transplantations. Under the TNCMCHIS, we have also successfully performed six blood group mismatch Liver Transplantations (ABOi), which have been the highlight of our centre”.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mettu Srinivas Reddy, Director – Liver Transplant & HPB Surgery, Gleneagles Global Health City, said, “These patients are extremely sick as many are referred for liver transplantation as a last resort. It is especially true for small babies who develop severe malnutrition and growth retardation. They have very low physiological reserve and cannot tolerate any infections or complications after transplantation. Despite these problems, outcomes of liver transplantation in our patients are much better than International standards. To achieve 100% perioperative survival in paediatric liver transplantation is an exceptional achievement and is a testament to the skill-set and commitment of the team and the hospital.”
Speaking about managing liver transplant patients during the COVID 19 pandemic, Dr Selvakumar Malleeswaran, HOD – Liver Anaesthesia & Critical Care, said “A dedicated team of critical care doctors and nurses exclusively conducted urgent and life-saving liver transplants even during the various waves of the COVID pandemic. The specialised team successfully managed emergency liver transplants for sick children who suffered acute liver failure. Our safety protocol ensured zero incidences of COVID in transplant patients and was published on the front cover page of the International Journal of Liver Transplantation”.
Speaking on achievement of this milestone, Dr Alok Khullar, CEO – Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai, said, “We are extremely grateful to the Government of Tamil Nadu for the TNCMCHIS that has given hope to many patients across the state. Performing highly challenging liver transplantations during the pandemic COVID-19 under the TNCMCHIS adds another feather to our cap. Being one of the leading liver transplant centres in India, our team took it as a challenge to implement the highest standards of infection control to enable transplantation without any risk of COVID-19 transmission. The multi-disciplinary approach of the Hepatology and liver transplant team in collaboration with the Infectious Diseases team enabled us to provide excellent clinical outcomes to patients suffering from end stage liver disease.”
Dr J Radhakrishnan, Principal Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, and S Aravindramesh, MLA – Sholinganallur also spoke.
