A reunion of liver transplant recipients and their donors was held at our tertiary care hospital (AIMS) on the 10th anniversary of Amrita Hospital’s liver transplant unit.
Transplantation is the only treatment available from patients suffering from acute or chronic liver failure. Nearly 90% of our liver transplant patients survive the surgery, and go on to lead normal, healthy lives.
One of those patients was Siju Sunil, wife of a tile worker named Sunil. Siju was suffering from chronic liver failure and needed a transplant to survive. They could never afford it on their own. After sending a team to verify their financial need, M.A. Math covered the vast majority of the cost of the surgery, and Siju is now on the mend.
Shyju K.K. is a daily laborer who sometimes gets work and sometimes doesn’t. When it became clear that his little boy Shamin would need a liver transplant to survive, Shyju knew he could never afford it. Instead of giving up hope, he went directly to Amma and asked for help. Amma made sure that Shamin got the transplant he needed. Little Shamin now has a healthy liver, and a long life ahead.
In the past 10 years, Amrita Hospital has conducted 325 liver transplants – 85 in the past year alone. The youngest patient was five months old. Patients are given transplants regardless of their ability to pay; Amrita Hospital has spent more than $3 million on providing liver transplants for patients who could not afford the procedure.
Kerala’s Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar, as well as Kerala’s biggest celebrity actor Mohanlal were at Amrita Hospital to commemorate the anniversary. Mohanlal, who has pledged his own organs to Amrita Hospital for donation, encouraged others to consider doing the same. Health Minister Sivakumar asked families of brain-dead patients to consider donating their relative’s organs to give other struggling patients a chance to survive.
The first-ever liver transplant in the state of Kerala was performed at Amrita Hospital.
