‘PUNJAB TOPS IN LIVER TRANSPLANT RECIPIENTS’

Be it PGIMER or Delhi, where liver transplants are actively happening, the maximum recipients are from Punjab and this number is consistently increasing. Punjabis are known for their habit of drinking alcohol the most. Hence, liver cirrhosis is trapping Punjabis the most, said Prof Dr Varinder Singh, Head of Hepatology, PGIMER in a press conference on liver transplant developments.

Since the Gastroenterology Surgery department team is actively doing liver transplants, serious patients are getting this treatment more effectively than before. Prof Virender Singh said that liver transplants have been done in PGI since 2011, but now another team has taken the lead. Dr TD Yadav, Dr Vikas Gupta, and Dr Harjit Singh have been doing liver transplants for the last year. During this time, the team has done 7 successful transplants. Prof Virendra said that the number of patients coming from Punjab for the treatment of liver-related diseases in PGI is increasing. The reason for this is excessive consumption of alcohol. Along with this, obesity and hepatitis C are also the main reasons for this. Prof Virendra said that up to Rs 40 lakh is being spent on liver transplantation in private hospitals, while Rs 10 lakh is being spent in PGI. On the other hand, if treatment is started on time, it can be avoided. He said that in the line of development, a new hepatology centre at PGI’s Nehru Extension would be inaugurated on July 12. So far, 64 liver transplants have been done in PGI.

Present on the occasion, the Medical Superintendent of PGI and Nodal Officer of Rotto, Prof Vipin Kaushal, informed that since 2011 till now, 64 livers have been transplanted in PGI. A live donor transplant has been done as well. In addition, 499 kidneys, seven hearts, 35 pancreases, one lung, and 6,375 corneas have been transplanted. So far, 637 awareness campaigns on organ donation have been conducted. At the same time, an oath of organ donation has been administered to 18,000 people.

A liver problem could be predicted with a fibroscan. People who suffer from obesity, hepatitis C, or consume alcohol, etc., must have a fibroscan. Apart from this, a normal person should also get a fibroscan done in their life so that if any liver problems are developing, they can be detected on time. Every problem related to the liver can be detected through a fibroscan.