Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata demonstrates the benefits of organ donation

Liver Transplantation is the greatest development in the field of medical science. The robust Liver Transplant Program in Apollo Gleneagles Hospitals, Kolkata has highly skilled Liver transplant surgeons, Hepatologists, specialized Anaesthetists and Intensive Care experts. Dedicated and specially trained nurses form an important part of the team.

Each year hundreds of Indians die while waiting for an organ transplant. This is because there is an acute imbalance between the number of organs donated and the number of people waiting for a transplant. Fifteen years after India passed the Transplantation of Human Organs Act, allowing organ retrieval from brain-dead patients, most kidney and liver donations still come from living donors.

The event was addressed by Dr Rupali Basu, President & CEO- Eastern Region, Apollo Hospitals Group, India, who felicitated the liver donor and recipients, highlighted that enhanced awareness is needed to encourage people to donate organs. “We would like to highlight the human face of donation and Transplantation by focusing on the recipients of this incredible gift without forgetting the generosity of the donor families”, added Dr Basu, while motivating people to pledge organs.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Mahesh Kumar Goenka, Director and Consultant Gastroenterology, stated, “A liver transplant is recommended when all other treatment options fail and then on, inaction could be fatal. The purpose of transplantation is to replace the diseased liver with a healthy liver. Ideally, after a transplant, a patient will be free from disease and can lead a fairly normal life. Despite of the initiatives taken for education of the masses towards cadaveric organ donation, we are still receiving a very few cadaveric organ donors.”

Dr Anand Khakhar, Senior Consultant and Program Director for The Centre for Liver Disease & Transplantation, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, added, “Liver and other organs such as kidney and Pancreas can be retrieved from healthy individuals. However, a bigger resource can be, recently deceased (Brain dead) individuals, who or whose family has agreed for organ donation. In such situation, one can utilize the liver, two kidneys, two corneas, pancreas, lungs, heart and intestine and one individual can save almost 9-10 lives.”

Dr Anil Vaidya, Senior Consultant, Multivisceral Transplant surgeon, Apollo Hospitals, Chennai, adds, “The only established cure for diabetes is through a successful pancreatic transplant. The source of this organ is either from a ‘brain dead’ donor or a ‘live-related’ donor. Transplantation not only extends life, but, also rehabilitates a diabetic to a life of physical, social, psychological well being and self perception of normality; control over one’s destiny, with fewer restrictions and enhanced capacities leading to improved sense of independence.”