Apollo Hospitals group medical director Prof Anupam Sibal. PHOTO: www.apollohospitals.com

KARACHI: Kidney transplants are an expensive surgical intervention for patients suffering from renal failure. With a dearth in expertise in the field in Pakistan, patients often have to travel abroad to avail the treatment.



Dr Ziauddin Hospital, Karachi, and the Apollo Group of Hospitals, India, have taken the initiative to make the procedure far more accessible to the citizens. The Apollo Group is one of the largest of its kind in India, with over 6o facilities in various parts of the country.



Under the programme, titled 'Peace Clinic', the two healthcare institutions will work together on cases of patients in need of kidney and liver transplants. The diagnosis and screening will be conducted by doctors at Ziauddin hospital, who will then discuss the case with experts at the Apollo Hospitals in India.



For now, the two medical facilities have jointly set up a combined liver ward for pre- and post-transplant care at Ziauddin hospital. At this facility, the patients will be assessed for their transplant needs and then referred to India for the procedure, if necessary.



The experts also plan to add an internet-based help facility for patients in addition to a telephone helpline.



Speaking at the launching ceremony of the Peace Clinic, the Apollo Hospitals group medical director Prof Anupam Sibal said, "This programme will not only save money and time of the citizens of Karachi, but will also give them access to better health facilities." He added that up till now, they had received approximately 540 cases of kidney and liver transplantation from Pakistan. "Each year, we receive around 100 to 140 cases from Pakistan." The success rate of these cases is almost 90 per cent, he claimed.



Prof Sibal hoped that through the flagship programme, they would be able to bridge the geographical barriers and provide better health facilities to the people of Pakistan. "Pakistani doctors are capable and passionate in their work," added Sibal. Under this programme, the experts working at Apollo hospital will give training to doctors working at Ziauddin hospital.



For his part, the medical superintendent of Ziauddin hospital, Dr Anoop Dawani said, "I am proud that Ziauddin hospital is the only facility in Pakistan to have taken the initiative to address the transplantation needs of the people of our country".



Published in The Express Tribune, February 22nd, 2015.