The Indian government recently released a
commemorative stamp to celebrate the 15th anniversary of India’s first
successful liver transplant at the Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi.
Shri Ravi Shankar Prasad, Honourable Minister of
Communications and Information Technology, and Minister of Law and Justice was
present at the ceremony that was held in recognition of the program’s
contribution to the progress in the field of transplantation in the country.
The first successful paediatric and adult liver
transplants in India were performed at Apollo Hospitals, New Delhi in 1998.
Sanjay Kandaswamy, then a 2-year-old boy from Kancheepuram, was the first child
in India to receive a successful liver transplant with his father being the
donor.
His successful surgery marked a pivotal shift in
the field of liver transplantation in India. Sanjayis 17 years old today and
was present on the occasion of the stamp release function.
Over 900 liver transplants are now performed in
India annually.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Prathap C. Reddy,
Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said, “Within the span of these 15 years
approximately 4500 Liver Transplants have been performed in India.
The Apollo Transplant Program remained the busiest
program in the world in 2013 (for the second consecutive year) by performing
1456 transplants (390 liver, 1066 kidney) and Apollo Delhi the busiest centre
with 952 transplants (283 liver, 669 kidney).
This remarkable foray into organ transplantation
has made India a global leader in the field by providing access to high quality
and affordable transplant program.
Today, we have innovated in the field of
transplantation to provide access to a larger number of people in need of liver
transplantation. Patients of 121 countries have received treatment at Apollo
Hospitals.”
Apollo Transplant Institutes were created with the
aim of providing world class transplant services across the region. Since the
first successful liver transplant in India in 1998, the Apollo Transplant
Program has performed 21000 kidney transplants & 5600 liver transplants in
children and adults till date.
Contributing to this milestone, Apollo Delhi has
performed 5000 solid organ transplants till date. The high quality - affordable
cost value proposition that Apollo Hospitals offer has made them the preferred
destination for patients not only from India but more than 30 countries.
No comments:
Post a Comment