LAHORE: Kidney Centre’s Liver Transplant Unit at Sheikh Zayed Hospital (SZH) has performed over 80 liver transplantations so far since its inauguration.
According to Associate Prof Dr Amir Latif, over three lakh patients still need liver transplant in the country.
He told APP on Sunday that if facilities are provided to the Liver Transplant Unit, they would be able to perform 40 transplantation operations per month. He said that the facility is being provided at the lowest cost, just Rs 3.5 million. Whereas India and other neighbouring countries the same treatment costs at least Rs 6.5 million.
He said that the survival rate after the liver transplantation is 85 per cent, while survival period may be different as some patients could live even for 20 years after treatment.
Dr Amir Latif said that liver diseases are increasing in the country at a fast pace, hundreds of patients were on the waiting list of the centre. The kidney of a donor could be transplanted to two persons.
“The liver can be donated to two people as 30 per cent is enough for a healthy body. Even an alive person can donate 50 per cent of his/her liver,” he added.
“According to the Cadaver Human Tissue Ordinance 2009 and its passage in the form of an act in the 18th Amendment, now it is a legal practice to transplant donated organs,” he said.
“There is an urgent need to motivate people to donate their organs in the larger interest of ailing humanity,” the expert added.
