Shifa formally opens first liver transplant centre

After performing four successful living donor liver transplants in last six weeks, Shifa International Hospital (SIH) on Saturday formally opened its liver transplant center for the people of Pakistan.
Shifa’s liver transplant center is the first liver transplant centre of Pakistan. Muhammad Yaseen, 12, who was the first living donor liver transplant patient successfully operated a couple of weeks ago, formally inaugurated the liver transplant centre.
Besides liver transplant patients, Muhammad Yaseen, Asad Mir and their donors, Humaira Sadaf and Waqas, SIH President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Manzoor H Qazi, Chief Operating Officer Sohail Siddiqi, Surgeon liver transplant Dr Faisal Saud Dar, Director Strategic Planning SIH Mahmood Mirza and a large number of doctors from across the country attended the ceremony.
During a media briefing after the 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 program 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 Shifa’s 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 program by studying and addressing existing deficiencies. “Shifa is in a unique position to conduct a successful liver transplant program because it has all the ingredients for liver transplant pathway,” he mentioned.
He said they are a team of 30 members and all were sent abroad for training prior to starting liver transplant program at Shifa. It is pertinent to mention that Dr Faisal Dar himself spent a number of years at Kings College Hospital, London, in liver transplant programme under direct supervision of the world’s renowned liver transplant surgeon Dr Muhammad Rela and performed many successful liver transplant surgeries.
He also acknowledged and thanked Dr Rela’s support for starting a regular liver transplant at Shifa. He said now patients in Pakistan will get world class transplant services within the country, thus saving a huge amount of money as well as traveling issues.
Dr Dar said all the four patients including Muhammad Yaseen, Asad Mir, Safia Begam and Rehana Babar and their donors Humaira Sadaf, Waqas, Muhammad Irfan and Umar Zahid were in good spirit and recovering rapidly. Patient Muhammad Yaseen said he 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 total cost of liver transplant will vary from Rs 3 to Rs 4 million that is much cheaper than India or any other country where Pakistanis go for liver transplant. He also urged the people 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 Qazi, while thanking the media and the stakeholders for helping establish the country’s first liver transplant centre and creating public awareness on the needs of liver transplant to save lives, said Shifa’s LTP will not only offer liver transplant surgery but also train individuals within the country to help establish similar programmes across Pakistan in view of the high needs of liver transplants. He urged sustained support and cooperation from other health experts for the cause.