R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, MARCH 26
City-based Kauvery Hospital on Saturday announced that it has successfully performed two paediatric living donor liver transplants on Keerthana, 4, of Arakkonam near Chennai and Shreyan, 2, hailing from West Bengal.
Addressing the press conference, Thoothukudi MP Kanimozhi Karunanidhi lauded the Good Samaritan initiative of Kauvery Hospital. She said that the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMHIS) reached out to the people every nook and corner and poorest of the poor. The government has so far spent Rs 225 crore for the scheme.
Endorsing Thousand Lights MLA Dr Ezhilan, she said there should be two-way traffic between the government and private hospitals on exchange of expertise to help the poor patients.
“There is a huge gap between those waiting for liver donation and the donors. As many as 60,000 people are waiting for liver, only 2,000 donations are available in Tamil Nadu. Hence, the need of the hour is to create awareness among the people on organ donation,” she added.
Kanimozhi said, “Liver Transplantation in our country was out of reach for many, and today Kauvery Hospital Chennai, which houses world renowned surgeons and state of the art infrastructure, has made the transplant services accessible and affordable for everyone, and have thus removed boundaries. The treatments which were funded through various sources have given a new lease of life to the children. A child’s health is the country’s health and wealth.”
In his address Dr Ezhilan said that late Chief Minister M Karunanidhi had spearheaded the cadaver donation in Tamil Nadu and was the first to launch the CMCHIS in the state through Public-Private-Partnership (PPP).
Speaking on the success of the transplants, Dr. Aravindan Selvaraj, Co-Founder & Executive Director, Kauvery Hospital, Chennai said, “Performing paediatric liver transplant comes with a lot of challenges, and the right expertise under the right infrastructure are absolutely necessary for the success of a transplant. Specialised care in paediatric hepatology (the science of liver diseases) is provided to ensure that the child recovers without complications. We as a team aim to be number one in liver transplant, and we are proud to be providing liver transplants across tier 2 cities in Tamil Nadu, away from Chennai. Our vision is affordability and accessibility for liver transplants across all sections of the society. I congratulate Dr Elankumaran and team for providing such comprehensive state of the art and science care for children with such life- threatening liver diseases, thereby helping them lead a good quality of life. Not many are aware that liver is an organ that has the potential to regrow in the donor after a portion isdonated, and also grow to normal size in the recipient. This awareness can help families to come forward for living donor liver transplants thereby helping their loved ones lead a new lease of life.”
Speaking on the transplant procedure, Dr Elankumaran K, Senior Consultant & Head – Liver Disease and Transplantation Centre said, “The first child, a 4-year-old girl was diagnosed with a rare genetic disorder which can be cured only through a liver transplant. After evaluation, her mother was found to be the suitable donor. The transplant was performed successfully and all underlying conditions were treated.”
“The second child, a 2-year-old boy, suffered from fever and jaundice for a week, and was later referred to our hospital for high-end treatment. The baby was diagnosed with Severe Liver Failure and was placed under Intensive Care. Soon he became unconscious and was taken up of for an emergency liver transplant. Evaluation of the members of the family led to his father emerging as a suitable donor. Within 2 days of admission, the child underwent Living Donor Liver Transplantation and recovered without any complications,” Dr Elankumaran added.
