India ideal destination for SAARC patients: Expert - Health News - Webindia123.com
India ideal destination for SAARC patients: Expert - Health News - Webindia123.com: India ideal destination for SAARC patients: Expert
Hyderabad | January 19, 2006 7:36:25 PM IST
India has become an attractive destination for liver transplants for patients from countries of the South Asian Assocation for Regional Cooperation(SAARC) and the Gulf according to M R Rajasekhar, Fellow in Abdominal Organ Transplation, USA.
Liver transplantation cost about Rs one crore in the US and RS 90 lakh in the UK, but only Rs 20 lakh in India.
Dr Rajasekhar, has set up the country's first Hepatobiliary Surgery and Multiorgan transplant unit at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi.
In view of the cost advantage, patients from Pakistan, Bangaladesh as also from Palestine and United Arab Emirites, prefer India, Dr Rajasekhar, who has specialised in live donor, cadaver donor, adult and pediatric liver transplants, said, here today.
While more than 60,000 patients succumb to liver failure in India every year, few actually get the benefit of liver transplant due to cost factor as also low awareness about the procedure, Dr Rajasekhar, said.
He said screening for Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C virus before blood transfusion as also vaccination of both children and adults for hepatitis-B was needed.
He said, ''Reducing alcohol conumsption and disincentives to reduce alcohol consumpiton will go a long way in reducing incidence of chronic liver disease and liver cancer.'' Though there was no vaccination available for Hepatitis -C, which was emerging fast as the commonest cause of liver failure in the country, Hepatitis-C was curable in 50 per cent of the patients, he added.
Hyderabad | January 19, 2006 7:36:25 PM IST
India has become an attractive destination for liver transplants for patients from countries of the South Asian Assocation for Regional Cooperation(SAARC) and the Gulf according to M R Rajasekhar, Fellow in Abdominal Organ Transplation, USA.
Liver transplantation cost about Rs one crore in the US and RS 90 lakh in the UK, but only Rs 20 lakh in India.
Dr Rajasekhar, has set up the country's first Hepatobiliary Surgery and Multiorgan transplant unit at the Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi.
In view of the cost advantage, patients from Pakistan, Bangaladesh as also from Palestine and United Arab Emirites, prefer India, Dr Rajasekhar, who has specialised in live donor, cadaver donor, adult and pediatric liver transplants, said, here today.
While more than 60,000 patients succumb to liver failure in India every year, few actually get the benefit of liver transplant due to cost factor as also low awareness about the procedure, Dr Rajasekhar, said.
He said screening for Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C virus before blood transfusion as also vaccination of both children and adults for hepatitis-B was needed.
He said, ''Reducing alcohol conumsption and disincentives to reduce alcohol consumpiton will go a long way in reducing incidence of chronic liver disease and liver cancer.'' Though there was no vaccination available for Hepatitis -C, which was emerging fast as the commonest cause of liver failure in the country, Hepatitis-C was curable in 50 per cent of the patients, he added.
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