Patients' personal experiences
Cadaveric donor waiting list | Cost
Criteria for being a liver donor
Liver donation in which a part of the liver of a healthy person
is removed by an operation and used for transplant, is very safe.
The donor is in hospital for 7-10 days, rests at home for 2-3
weeks and is then as well as he was before the operation. The
liver regenerates (i.e., grows back to its normal size) within
2-3 weeks. The living liver donor should be a 18-55 years old,
willing and healthy family person weighing between 50-85 kg, should
not be overweight or obese (since such people tend to have fatty
livers that may not work well in the recipient), and should have
either the same blood group as the patient's or blood group "O".
The screening tests recommended for prospective donors are CBC,
PT, LFTs, Serum creatinine, HBsAg, HCV antibody, HIV I,II, Chest
X ray, ECG and Ultrasound of the abdomen. The final approval however,
will be given by Dr. Soin after further detailed testing at Delhi.
Cadaveric
donor waiting list
The SGRH has a long waiting list since cadaveric organs are
not frequently available. Priority on the list is decided on the
disease severity and first-come first served basis. Although foreigners
and Indians stand an equal chance of obtaining a cadaveric organ
under this system, the list is long and the wait may well be several
months or even a year. A long wait is logistically impossible
for most foreigners travelling to Delhi for transplant. Hence,
they are all advised to bring along suitable living donors.
Cost
Operation costs
- SGRH is a Trust Hospital and the costs are subsidized to about
¼ to 1/6 of those in the other centres abroad.
- The cost varies somewhat according to the condition of the patient,
the cause of liver disease, the degree and the length of preparation
required for the patient prior to transplant, and the treatment
of any associated medical problems that may be necessary before
the transplant. The cost estimate is provided once Dr. Soin has
assessed the medical records of the case.
- All charges are the same and standard for both Indian and foreign
patients.
- All charges can be paid either in Indian rupees as cash, or
drafts in Indian rupees in the name of the hospital or by credit
card. The current conversion of the Indian rupee is Rs. 45 to
1 US Dollar.
Cost of living in Delhi
The cost of living in 3-4 star comfort at a nearby hotel would be approximately USD 125 per person per week.
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