Liver Transplant Clinic to provide comprehensive care to the patients: PGIMER

Chandigarh: A Liver Transplant Clinic (LTC), has been initiated at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh(PGIMER), in order to make comprehensive care available to patients who require liver transplantation, post care after the transplantation and other issues related to the liver.

Director PGIMER, Chandigarh, Prof Jagat Ram, said, "patients with liver diseases is a specialised group and require focused care with dedicated time and service." Liver Clinic OPD is busy with a patient load of more than 500-600 liver patients per day and sometimes stretching up to 7-8 pm. "

Prof. R.K. Dhiman, Head, Dept. of Hepatology, PGIMER, Chandigarh talking to TOI said that Liver Transplant Clinic is the need of the hour to meet the requirements of prospective liver transplant patients with the end-stage liver disease.

The clinic shall focus on pre- and post-transplant care to the patients with the end-stage liver disease.

India accounts for around 2 lakh end-stage liver disease patients, who require liver transplant as it is the only option available to them.Hence a patient with the end-stage liver disease would attend a Liver Transplant Clinic for both pre-transplant works up as well as post-transplant follow-up.

The automatic outcome being, increased number of patients getting registered for a liver transplant, as well as their follow-ups.

The clinic will also be opening its doors to other state liver patients who have already undergone a transplant elsewhere, e.g. Bangalore, Delhi, Hyderabad, and Chennai.

Liver transplants are either be got from live or dead donors.While the maximum number in India is given by live donors(LDLT), in most cases relatives; most in the west come from deceased donors(DDLT).

Presently PGIMER has all DDLT plantations happening; with the institute having completed more than 35 DDLT.

The launch of the LTC at PGIMER will also result in the identification of potential The launch of liver transplant clinic will also help in identifying potential and in starting the LDLT program in the Institute.

The average costs to be entailed for a liver transplantation procedure at in PGIMER is approximately Rs 10 lakh, while it is Rs 30-40 lakh in the private sector. This clinic is expected to give a further boost to liver transplant to public sector health facilities like the PGIMER.