30 August,2011 07:56 AM IST | | Alifiya Khan
Long waiting list of patients at hospital; no decision yet on liver transplant centre inaugurated a few months ago
After a five-month delay in kidney transplants at the Ruby Hall Clinic owing to controversies at the transplant centre, which had to be shut down for a few months, the hospital has finally resumed the procedure.
The number of patients on the waiting list is long. Now 12 patients have already got the go-ahead to get the transplants done within the next 10 days.
According to the transplant department, the operations started two weeks ago at the hospital. The Ruby Hall Clinic does the maximum number of kidney transplants in the city, but in March the hospital transplant centre ran into controversies after some MLAs alleged mismanagement and flouting of norms in running the centre. The matter reached the Legislative Assembly, and a committee was instituted.
Alleging harassment, Ruby Hall Clinic shut down the organ transplant centre. Around the same time, the state government revised a few guidelines for authorising hospitals to conduct transplants and fresh committees had to be formed at the hospital level in all such facilities. The result was a suspension of kidney transplants in all city hospitals by the end of April.
While all hospitals resumed transplants by the end of May or early June, the Ruby Hall Clinic was yet to begin transplants. "We were waiting for everything to be perfectly right this time as we don't want any unnecessary complications any more. We got the permission a little earlier but had to finish a few preparations at the hospital level. Now we have resumed kidney transplants in a full-fledged manner and the waiting list has plenty of people," said Bomi Bhote, CEO, Ruby Hall Clinic.
He added that the liver transplant centre, which was set up in September last year along with a Hyderabad-based hospital, is yet to become functional. "We haven't taken a decision on it yet and will start liver transplants only much later. It's not a permission issue though, it's more hospital related," said Bhote.
While Ruby Hall Clinic is yet to decide about the fate of its liver transplants centre, Jehangir hospital is all set to beat it in the race.
Dr Prasad Mogrikar, medical superintendent, Jehangir hospital, confirmed that the hospital was collaborating with New-Delhi-based Apollo hospitals for the new venture. "Yes, we are setting up a liver transplant unit; the permissions are yet to come. But as far as technical concerns go, training of doctors and staff and other requirements that are needed, they are almost through to the last leg and we hope to launch it soon," said Mogrikar.
