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* Doctor says Rs 4 million for a liver transplant still much less than operation cost in India or any other country where Pakistanis go for liver transplant
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: After performing four successful living donor liver transplants in last six weeks, Shifa International Hospital (SIH) on Saturday formally opened its liver transplant centre, the first such centre in Pakistan. Muhammad Yaseen, 12, the first living donor liver transplant patient operated upon a couple of weeks ago, formally inaugurated the centre.
During a media briefing after the centres formal opening, Dr Faisal Saud Dar said, Shifa International Hospital is the best tertiary care hospital that has all the facilities of an international standard needed to start living donor liver transplant programme on regular basis.
Dr Dar said that around 34 different medical disciplines are involved in performing one liver transplant that is the most complex surgery the medical science has ever invented. He said that Shifas liver transplant programme was operational since 2009 with an aim to perform first liver transplant within three years.
Since liver transplant surgery is not new to Pakistan, given that many previous efforts have failed in the past, the challenge was to develop a sustained liver transplant programme by studying and addressing existing deficiencies. Shifa is in a unique position to conduct a successful liver transplant programme because it has all the ingredients for liver transplant pathway, Dr Dar said. He said, We are a team of 30 members. All were sent abroad for training prior to starting the liver transplant programme at Shifa. It is pertinent to mention here that Dr Faisal Dar himself spent many years at Kings College Hospital, London in liver transplant programme under direct supervision of worlds renowned liver transplant surgeon Dr Muhammad Rela and performed many successful liver transplant surgeries.
He also acknowledged and thanked Dr Relas support for starting regular liver transplant at Shifa. Now patients in Pakistan will get world-class transplant services. Dr Dar said all the four patients - Muhammad Yaseen, Asad Mir, Safia Begam and Rehana Babar - and their donors - Humaira Sadaf, Waqas, Muhammad Irfan and Umar Zahid - were recovering rapidly.
Patient Muhammad Yaseen is the only brother of eight sisters. He had congenital liver disorder that resulted in complete liver failure. He has got a new life after successful liver transplant. I am very happy and I want to be a liver transplant surgeon when I grow up, he stated. To a question, Dr Dar said the cost of a liver transplant will vary from Rs 3 to Rs 4 million, but it was much less than in India or any other country where Pakistanis go for liver transplant. He also urged the people to not to hesitate to donate liver for saving precious lives as donors also recover very rapidly after donating a graft of their liver.
Dr Manzoor H Qazi, while thanking the media, Novartis and the stakeholders for helping establish the countrys first liver transplant centre, said, Shifas LTP will not only offer liver transplant surgery, but will also train individuals within the country to help establish similar programmes across Pakistan to address the high need of liver transplant.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Staff Report
ISLAMABAD: After performing four successful living donor liver transplants in last six weeks, Shifa International Hospital (SIH) on Saturday formally opened its liver transplant centre, the first such centre in Pakistan. Muhammad Yaseen, 12, the first living donor liver transplant patient operated upon a couple of weeks ago, formally inaugurated the centre.
During a media briefing after the centres formal opening, Dr Faisal Saud Dar said, Shifa International Hospital is the best tertiary care hospital that has all the facilities of an international standard needed to start living donor liver transplant programme on regular basis.
Dr Dar said that around 34 different medical disciplines are involved in performing one liver transplant that is the most complex surgery the medical science has ever invented. He said that Shifas liver transplant programme was operational since 2009 with an aim to perform first liver transplant within three years.
Since liver transplant surgery is not new to Pakistan, given that many previous efforts have failed in the past, the challenge was to develop a sustained liver transplant programme by studying and addressing existing deficiencies. Shifa is in a unique position to conduct a successful liver transplant programme because it has all the ingredients for liver transplant pathway, Dr Dar said. He said, We are a team of 30 members. All were sent abroad for training prior to starting the liver transplant programme at Shifa. It is pertinent to mention here that Dr Faisal Dar himself spent many years at Kings College Hospital, London in liver transplant programme under direct supervision of worlds renowned liver transplant surgeon Dr Muhammad Rela and performed many successful liver transplant surgeries.
He also acknowledged and thanked Dr Relas support for starting regular liver transplant at Shifa. Now patients in Pakistan will get world-class transplant services. Dr Dar said all the four patients - Muhammad Yaseen, Asad Mir, Safia Begam and Rehana Babar - and their donors - Humaira Sadaf, Waqas, Muhammad Irfan and Umar Zahid - were recovering rapidly.
Patient Muhammad Yaseen is the only brother of eight sisters. He had congenital liver disorder that resulted in complete liver failure. He has got a new life after successful liver transplant. I am very happy and I want to be a liver transplant surgeon when I grow up, he stated. To a question, Dr Dar said the cost of a liver transplant will vary from Rs 3 to Rs 4 million, but it was much less than in India or any other country where Pakistanis go for liver transplant. He also urged the people to not to hesitate to donate liver for saving precious lives as donors also recover very rapidly after donating a graft of their liver.
Dr Manzoor H Qazi, while thanking the media, Novartis and the stakeholders for helping establish the countrys first liver transplant centre, said, Shifas LTP will not only offer liver transplant surgery, but will also train individuals within the country to help establish similar programmes across Pakistan to address the high need of liver transplant.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
