FIRST SUCCESSFUL LIVER TRANSPLANTATION IN THE COUNTRY AT HOTC

A 41-year-old man, Balram Naga successfully underwent a liver transplant, the first ever procedure in Nepal at Human Organ Transplant Center on 7th December, 2016.His sister Sanu Maya Lageju, 39, donated the organ. During the transplantation, doctors cut off around a third of donor’s liver and put it in the body of the recipient.

A team of doctors from South Korea’s Samsung Medical Centre assisted center during the surgery. The Korean experts were led by Professor Dr Jae-won Joh and Professor Dr Choon Hyuck David Kwon.

With the beginning of liver transplantation, patients can now avail the service in the country for around Rs1.5 million, while the procedure costs more than Rs10 million in India and other countries. Health Minister Gagan Thapa said the liver transplantation has opened a new horizon in the country’s health sector. “This is a great achievement. Apart from accessing facility at home, people can also save a lot of money,” said Minister Thapa, speaking at the press conference organised by the centre on Thursday. “Health Ministry will always support such innovative ideas which directly benefit people.”

Dr Pukar Chandra Shrestha, said that the local doctors would gradually adopt the technology and perform such operations independently in future. The liver transplantation comes close on the heels of endorsement of Human Organ Transplantation Regulations, 2016, which opens up the door for liver transplantation. The previous regulation had limited the transplantation to kidney.

Dr. Pukar Chandra Shrestha who led the team of Nepali doctors consist of Dr. Mohan Devbhandari, Dr. Sampurna man Tuladhar, Dr. Pravin Joshi, Dr. Neeraj Joshi, Dr. Dipesh Lal Gurubacharya, Dr. Mahalaxmi Deuja, Dr. Aarati Rai, Dr. Sandeep Bhandari, Dr, Kiran Adhikari, Dr. Milan thapa, and a team of nurses led by Nursing Director, Indira Pradhan.