A new lease of life to an 8-year-old kid through liver transplant by Aster CMI. While conducting an out-reach clinic in far flung areas of the State, Aster CMI’s Integrated Liver Care (ILC) team came across the case of an eight-year-old child hailing from Raichur, who had severe liver illness and required a liver transplant immediately. The economic constraints of the family compelled them to resign themselves to their fate. Efforts taken by the team of doctors at Aster CMI brought a new ray of hope for the family and ensured a healthier future for the child.
Owing to their economic condition, parents were left helpless and heart-broken whenever they looked at their child. Over the ensuing years, the child’s growth was stunted and he developed fluid accumulation in his belly. The case was further referred to Aster’s ILC team during their visit to Bijapur. The team examined the child’s situation and found out that he had advanced cirrhosis with its resultant secondary effects including growth retardation in the child. The child’s parents were counselled regarding the need for an urgent liver transplantation as a lifesaving therapy. The mother volunteered as a living liver donor under the Affordable Liver Transplant Initiative (ILC and Aster CMI joint program) which raised 12.5 lakhs for child’s treatment. Furthermore, realizing that there was hope for the child’s survival, family friends decided to pitch in as well to ensure that treatment was made possible for the child. The child was brought to Aster CMI Hospital and underwent a liver transplant surgery in December 2018.The result of this was a healthy playful child who is now 5 months out of the liver transplant and back at his home in Raichur with his family.
Aster’s ILC team includes specialist doctors- Dr Sonal Asthana, Dr Rajiv Lochan J and Dr. Mallikarjun Sakpal who have been adopting several methods apart from the outreach program to make liver care affordable and manageable for all. The team of expert doctors have also devised ways to dramatically reduce the cost of liver transplants by making use of crowdfunding, corporate sponsorships from CSR budgets, cross subsidies, matched funding and tie-ups with state governments which helps in creating a budget pool leading to overall reduction in the cost of the surgery and further reducing the burden on a patient’s pocket.
“Children are the hope of our country and society, therefore safeguarding their health and future is of paramount importance. The Aster ILC’s affordable liver transplant programme is a small step towards this goal.Our vision is to ensure that no child who comes to us is turned away for lack of funds and are looked after irrespective of their finances.” says Dr Sonal Asthana, Sr. Consultant – HPB & Transplant Surgery, Aster CMI Hospital.