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Liver Surgery for foreign patients at Sir Ganga Ram
Hospital (SGRH)
Since the author's team and hospital provide a world class liver
transplant service at a fraction of the cost of the Western centres,
foreign patients regularly travel to the centre for liver transplants
and other advanced liver surgery. This is especially true for
those from near by countries such as Pakistan, Nepal, Afghanistan,
Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and the UAE. Proximity to their
home country and many cultural similarities are the other factors
that make Delhi a preferred destination for advanced medical treatment
with these people. Many such patients suffering from terminal
liver disease or liver cancer have had successful liver transplants
or other major liver operations at the SGRH.
Initial
contact and appointment procedure
Contact, arranging appointment, travelling to Delhi
The procedure is quite simple.
- The family should contact Dr. A.S. Soin by e-mail, and send
all the patient's relevant medical records by e-mail or fax or
courier.
- After reviewing the medical details, Dr. A.S. Soin will write
back his opinion and whether the patient needs a liver transplant
(or some other liver operation).
- If the patient wishes to pursue the transplant or other treatment
at SGRH, Dr. Soin will then send all the financial details and
donor requirements that are relevant to the case.
- In case a transplant is advised, the family should identify
the prospective liver donor(s) and inform Dr. Soin. He will then
advise some basic tests for the donor(s) in their home country
so that the chances of the donor being finally accepted at Delhi
are high and there is minimal delay in the transplant. The criteria
for a suitable donor are given below.
- Once the donor is identified and tested, and the family is
ready to travel to Delhi, Dr. Soin's office will help in the visa
process.
- Upon arrival at Delhi, the patient and his attendants will be
received at the airport by a SGRH vehicle. The patient will then
normally be taken to the hospital (1/2 hour drive from the airport)
and admitted there straightaway. One attendant is allowed to stay
with the patient unless the patient is in the ICU. With prior
notice, A/C accommodation can be arranged near the hospital for
the other attendants where they will be transferred from the airport.
- Emergency Ambulance and Transport Service
Our partners in emergency transportation of patients from within India and abroad both by land, air and train are EM SOS MEDICAL PVT. LTD.
Their website address is www.emsos.in and contact nos.
Dr. Navnit Singh - +91 9311223230, 9899785455,
Dr. Jyoti Singh - +91 9899203230
and
24 Hrs. Helpline: +91-11-32568853.
| Procedure upon reaching Delhi |
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Assuming that a family donor is available, the patient should come
over to Delhi with the idea of being here for a total of about 3
months including pre-transplant evaluation and preparation, the
actual transplant and stabilization in the immediate post transplant
follow up period.
In Delhi at SGRH, a transplant evaluation will first be carried
out to see if the patient needs transplant and whether he is fit
for it. If a transplant is deemed suitable, the next step is to
get a donor liver. If the patient waits for a cadaveric liver, his
transplant will take place whenever the liver becomes available
(few months). If he gets a family donor along, the transplant can
take place within 15-20 days of reaching here. We get cadaver livers
from time to time (although infrequently) but do not provide living
donors.
After transplant, the patient will have to be in hospital for a
month and in Delhi for follow up for another 4-6 weeks. After that,
Dr. A.S. Soin's team will establish contact with the patient's local
liver specialist and make arrangements for the patient's long-term
follow up in his home country. From about 2-3 months after transplant,
most patients lead an amazingly normal life.
The family donor is discharged from hospital after 7-10 days and
allowed to go out from Delhi after another 10-15 days after which
he is completely normal in every respect as he was before the liver
donation.
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