Liver transplant facility still not functional

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Lahore – The country’s first liver transplant facility inaugurated by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani at Sheikh Zayed Hospital is still non-functional owing to ‘bureaucratic redtapism’, leaving patients at the mercy of fate, sources told Pakistan Today.
The PM opened the liver transplant facility in November last year and also announced an additional grant of Rs 100 million to further boost the medical facility under the federal government. However, despite a lapse of nearly two months, patients still have to consider other options, such as going to India or some other countries for treatment.
Zafar Dar, a patient’s relative, said that the patients were in a critical condition and it was a relief that the prime minister inaugurated the ‘much needed’ facility in the country. However, it was ‘disturbing’ to see that the facility is still not available and patients are being asked to get the patients registered as it will take ‘sometime’ before the transplant facility becomes available, he said.
The on-duty staff revealed that no liver transplant patient was currently admitted, as the facility was not yet available. The staff said the patient could get his or her name registered and already 150 patients were in line for surgeries. “We cannot give a timeline. May be a month or two before it starts working,” the staff said.
A senior liver transplant surgeon at Sheikh Zayed Hospital, seeking anonymity, said a rapid infuser, used for anaesthesia is missing and has caused the delay in liver transplant. “We are already working up patients for surgeries and want to save as many lives as possible especially after the government has provided all the requisite equipment and infrastructure and the medical experts. There is great risk involved if we perform the surgery without a rapid infuser and we do not want to put patients’ lives at risk,” he said. He further said the entire anaesthetic department was actually waiting for the rapid infuser.
To a question he said he cannot give a timeline, adding, “Attendants are putting up pressure on the authorities in the government circle and the government is also seriously pushing things further to start the state-of-the-art facility.” To another question, he said ‘administrative mishandling’ and ‘bureaucratic redtapism’ are responsible for the delay, as the government has provided with all infrastructure required for liver transplantation.
Cabinet Secretary Rauf Chaudhry however said the hospital administration has not intimated the government about the issue. He said patients have been admitted and surgeries were being performed, however when informed the liver transplant facility was not available, Chaudhry said the transplant facility will be available soon and doctors were the best to speak on the issue. “Funds are flowing into the project and more will be given if the hospital authorities inform us about it,” Chaudhry concluded.

14 COMMENTS

  1. aso. i have doughter of 14 years of age who is patient of lever. doctors diagonse as Criglar najar. she need lever transplantation. some one can help me what should i do how i can register her in Hospital. plz help me. thnks

    • liver transplant cost in india is only 38,00,000 (thirty eight pakistani rupees).get free help and info about liver transplant
      0322-6030505
      0322-4008472
      regards
      dr mian aziz
      medical officer

    • AOA I work as a doctor in NHS Blood and Transplnt in UK and would like to inform evryone that although liver transplant is very successful in certain conditions but it is a difficult surgical procedure. You need to be very careful to have this operation after considering all risk/benefit to patient. I heard that few chinese hospital have best track record of liver transplant in Asia after Singapore (but not sure which one)! You also need to find a living/dead liver donor for his operation

  2. I have been hearing, listening, reading and from T.V. and internet, the claims made by various Hospitals such as Sheikh Zaid Hospital- Lahore, PIMS- Islamabad,CMH Rawalpindi etc. that they are in the process of starting Liver Transplant Surgery in Pakistan very soon, but no definite date and schedule is ever given. Khawaja Salim Ahmed- email: [email protected] Cell No. 00923008244049

  3. Asalam-o-Alekum sir

    how can we register our patient for liver transplant operation. My uncle Yousaf Hussain has sufring very with liver problem because his liver has almost fully damaged with hepititus “c” so please kindly mail me the whole procidure of liver transplant operation.

    thanks

  4. asia sadiq asalam-o-alekum m aiso need livertransplant plz tell me whole informition about ur contects verey thanks

  5. Its like after a long drought here come the clouds, all eyes upon the thoudering clouds, yet waiting for the drops of blessed rain to touch their faces.

  6. aslam-o-alakom.may father hapatites pashant.i want treetment or transplant information plz tel me what i mast do. 03006448660

    • you can contact on my numbers for free info about liver transplant in India because liver transplant is not started yet after trial operation in pakistan
      0322-6030505
      0322-4008472
      [email protected]

  7. SUCCESSIVE DEATHS OF LIVER TRANSPLANT PATIENTS AT SHAIKH ZAYED HOSPITAL, LAHORE – INCOMPETENCE OR CRIMINAL MALPRACTICE?

    Two live donor liver transplant operations were done entirely by Dr. Subhash Gupta and his team who were flown in specially to perform these operations – whereabouts of these patients and the outcome unknown.

    Two more living donor liver transplants were done by the local shaikh zayed hospital, lahore surgeons. Both died of serious surgical complications within a few days while still in the shaikh zayed ICU. One of the live donors, a young girl, had a serious injury to her liver during the donor operation and may require a liver transplant operation herself if she can afford to go to India for this very expensive and major operation.

    Shaikh Zayed Hospital Liver Transplant Surgeons have no experience or training in Living Donor Liver Transplantation. This fact was pointed out by Dr. Subhash Gupta before he left Lahore. He had advised that these local surgeons should not perform liver transplants independently These were the first operations that these surgeons ever performed in their lives. Had the families of these two patients been told about this fact, they would never have consented to these operations.

    All this information has been concealed from the press and the public – and also from Dr. Gupta.

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