3 days ago
HC seeks timeline on revival of liver transplant unit at SCB
Cuttack: Orissa high court has asked the state govt to provide a clear timeline for the revival of the liver transplant unit at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
A division bench of Justices S K Sahoo and V Narasingh on Thursday directed the health secretary and the superintendent of SCB to apprise the court on the next hearing scheduled for Aug 21.
During the hearing, health secretary Aswathy S, who appeared in virtual mode, filed an affidavit dated Aug 13, stating that two hospitals — AIG, Hyderabad and Aster CMI, Bengaluru — were selected through a tender process in 2023 for supporting liver transplants at SCB. While Aster CMI continues with the screening process, the MoU with AIG expired in April this year. A meeting is scheduled with AIG later this week to discuss possible continuation of their services.
So far, two liver transplants have been conducted under the programme — one successful and another resulting in the patient's death. Chennai-based MGM Hospital, which is already conducting free heart transplants at SCB, has expressed interest in extending its services to liver and bone marrow transplants. A draft MoU has been submitted and is currently under govt review.
However, the health secretary informed the court that she was unable to provide a definitive timeline for establishing a comprehensive transplant system, as the matter is under active govt consideration.
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The court, emphasising the urgency of the issue, observed that the matter "cannot be deferred indefinitely".
The court also directed the govt to conduct a comparative assessment of AIG and Aster CMI based on expertise, success rate and responsiveness to determine the most suitable technical partner.
In a separate affidavit, SCB superintendent Dr Goutam Kumar Satpathy highlighted that liver transplants require extensive preoperative evaluations.
Currently, five patients are being screened, but two do not have donors and others have not completed the required tests. He added that no meetings of the authorisation committee have been held in the past six months due to incomplete documentation.
The health secretary further informed the bench that a team of doctors recently visited Karnataka to study transplant models. Their recommendations are being evaluated to suit Odisha's requirements.
The bench directed that all developments, including the status of meetings with AIG and MGM, be submitted before the court on Aug 21.
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