If you want to live after death, donate your organs, said Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu on Tuesday. “Organ donation is a noble way of living beyond death and helping others,” he said, adding that this should be made into a people’s movement in the country. Mr. Naidu was speaking at the felicitation programme of the successful completion of 1,000 liver transplants in Tamil Nadu by Gleaneagles Global Health City and the Transplant Authority of Tamil Nadu (TRANSTAN).
Expressing concern over the rise of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and the contribution of lifestyle factors and excessive junk food, Mr. Naidu stressed the need for a healthy diet and regular exercise. He also spoke of making transplants more affordable so that medical bills did not push people in debt, and hoped other States would follow the Tamil Nadu government’s lead in supporting transplants.
Misuse of antibiotics
Governor Banwarilal Purohit cautioned people against excessive consumption of antibiotics and called out to doctors too, to minimise their prescription.
State Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar said the State was committed to taking transplant procedures to tier II cities and reducing the waiting list for organs. He said the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme sanctioned up to ₹35 lakh for transplants.
State Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan said the corpus fund from the insurance scheme had funded 301 liver transplants at a cost of ₹66 crore so far. He also spoke of the need to ensure no organ is wasted, and since there were fewer paediatric donors, requested Global Hospitals to do more split liver transplants.
Mohamed Rela, chairman and director, Institute of Liver diseases and Transplantation at the hospital, who led the team that completed 1,000 transplants thanked his team, nurses and axillary staff and the government for its support.
Both the secretary and the Minister spoke of the liver transplant programme at Government Stanley Hospital that Dr. Rela was instrumental in reviving. All 24 liver transplants at the hospital were successful, they said.
State Fisheries Minister D. Jayakumar said Chennai had grown as a hub for medical tourism. K. Ravindranath, chairman, Glenagles Global Hospitals said they were also helping other countries to set up liver transplant programmes. P. Balaji, member secretary TRANSTAN also participated.
The experts also thanked the donor families as well as NGOs including MOHAN Foundation. A number of liver transplant recipients too were honoured.
