Awareness drive on cadaver transplant

Talking to DTNext on the sidelines of the event held at the hospital, Dr M Edwin Fernando, Professor and Head, Department of Nephrology, Stanley Medical College and Hospital said that there was a need to raise awareness among the general public about cadaver transplants being carried out in government hospitals. “It is done free of cost, while in a private hospital the same procedure can cost Rs 7 lakh to Rs 8 lakh. 

We want to educate people who are in need of transplants that in order to undergo the procedure, they have to register themselves and come for regular check-up. The success rate is also good in such transplants,” he said. Till date, the institution has carried around 731 renal transplants, of which 110 are cadaver transplants. Renal transplant was being done free of cost under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme, he added. 

Dr Fernando added that diabetes was one of the commonest causes for transplants. “Apart from chronic kidney diseases, diabetes is a huge factor in several people requiring transplants. Kidney-related complications can be found among several age groups,” he added. He also said that every Friday a special out-patient clinic was functioning for patients waiting for cadaver transplant to keep them fit and ready any time for transplant.