Bangalore: A team of doctors comprising of liver transplant, heart transplant, BMT and renal transplant from Narayana Health, Bangalore, came together to spread awareness on the importance of organ donation and organ transplants to mark World organ donation day which is observed on 13th of August every year. Along with them were 15 transplant survivors who have undergone heart, liver kidney and bone marrow transplants.
The first organ transplant at the hospital was conducted in the year 2005, which was a pediatric liver transplant and since then there is no looking back. Narayana Health Bangalore has emerged as a centre of excellence for multi-organ transplants, and has performed over 1500 transplants for heart, liver, kidney, pancreas, bone marrow, and lungs. Dr. Sanjay Kumar Goja – Director and Clinical Lead, Senior Consultant and Head of Liver Transplant & HPB Surgery oversees the liver transplant team at Narayana Health.
Speaking about liver transplants Dr. Sanjay Rao –Senior Consultant – Paediatric Surgery (Liver Transplant) said, “Cadaveric donations are very few in our country and in case of liver transplant the best solution therefore is approaching an immediate family member. What makes liver transplant more complex is that the liver has to be cut down to a particular size and shape. For a live donor the liver grows back in a matter of 6 to 8 weeks. We at Narayana Health have performed over 80 pediatric liver transplants and over 8 adult liver transplants till date. In fact, we are the only hospital in India to have a dedicated pediatric liver transplantation program.”
Dr. Nagamalesh.U.M – Senior Consultant – Cardiology, Heart Failure and Transplant, Ramaiah Narayana Heart Centre said, “Recently, in a span of four weeks Narayana Health City and Ramaiah Narayana Heart Centre performed 7 heart transplants and has seen an increase in the number of cadaveric organ donation. In fact earlier this year Narayana Health performed two heart transplants on a single day which involved donor and recipient as young as 10 years, which in itself is a testimonial to our expertise. In case of Heart transplants, time is very crucial, and Bangalore City traffic police have always given us their full support in arranging green corridors to support the organs of the donor to the recipients admitted in various hospitals.”
The bone marrow transplant (BMT) unit at Narayana Health has completed more than 950 stem cell transplants with most of them being allogeneic stem cell transplants including HLA matched siblings, matched unrelated, cord blood as well as Haplo-Identical transplants. Narayana Health has the capabilities to address various conditions that require bone marrow transplant.
Blood Cancer is one of the few diseases that is perceived as incurable, however with advanced treatment options like bone marrow transplant (BMT) the chances of survival are much higher. BMT can also be used to successfully treat Thalassemia patients and till date we have treated over 250 cases alone in Bangalore. added Dr. Sunil Bhat – Director and Clinical Lead, Senior Consultant & Head of Paediatric Haematology and BMT
It is also important to note that Kidney failure is a major public health problem and the incidence & prevalence is on the rise. Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a common harmful & treatable disease usually caused by Diabetes, Hypertension, Glomerulonephritis, Polycystic kidney disease and pain killer abuse for which renal transplantation is a procedure of choice. In India around 0.5 Donors are available against a population of million people whereas in Western countries it is 30 against a million people.
Narayana Health has been working relentlessly to build awareness regarding organ donation over the years through outdoor outreach initiatives.
Joseph Pasangha, COO, Narayana Health City, Bangalore, said, “We have worked continually to become a centre of excellence for multi-organ transplants including heart, liver, kidney, lung, pancreas and bone barrow. Our endeavor is to continue to strengthen our capabilities in order to serve a larger audience who need world class treatment facilities at an affordable cost”.
