A virtual meeting of top doctors across specialities on the occasion of World Organ Donation Day on Friday discussed that there was a growing demand for liver transplantation in the country because liver cirrhosis and other chronic liver diseases were rapidly increasing.
At the meeting “Presidential Voices” organised by Asian Institute of Gastroenterology (AIG), president of Indian Society of Gastroenterology Rakesh Kochhar said the chances of survival of liver patients without transplant was a maximum of two to three years. Out of over 50,000 patients who needed liver transplant, only 2,000 procedures were conducted.
Apart from Dr. Kochhar, presidents of five more top medical societies participated in the meeting. They included Dr. Abhay Dalvi of Association of Surgeons of India, Dr. D. Beherea of Indian Chest Society, Dr. P.P. Mohanan of Cardiology Society of India, Dr. A.K. Bhalla of Indian Society of Nephrology and Dr. Shailesh Shrikhande of International Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association.
AIG chairman D. Nageshwar Reddy in his initial remarks said harvesting organs from the bodies of deceased persons and transplanting them on the needy should be priority as critical illnesses were on the rise.
Dr. Abhay Dalvi said the country was able to establish a formidable capacity for living donor transplantation but deceased donor transplantation was still far from realising its potential in public health. Dr. Mohanan said over 50,000 persons needed heart transplantation per annum in the country but less than 250 actually got it. Dr. Behera said the overall organ donation rate in India only 0.52 per million population.
Dr. A.K. Bhalla said 21,395 kidneys were transplanted in the country between 1971 and 2015 as per Indian Society of Organ Transplantation. Of them, only 783 were from cadaver or deceased donors.
AIG Director G.V. Rao summed up the proceedings saying each donor could potentially save up to eight lives.
