Date:26/02/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/02/26/stories/2005022615420500.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Celebration time for liver transplant recipients

By Our Staff Reporter

HYDERABAD, FEB. 25. Two years ago, 50-year-old Bhausaheb Morey had struggled for words to express his gratitude to the family of a Chennai-based nurse, Kannambal.

On Thursday, he was once again overwhelmed as he returned to Hyderabad to celebrate his `re-birth' after he became the first liver transplant patient in Andhra Pradesh.

Dr. Morey, a gynaecologist running a hospital in Nasik, was among the 17 successful liver transplant patients of Global Hospitals who got together at the hospice to celebrate the second anniversary of Andhra Pradesh's first liver transplant and the formation of the first focussed facility in the country for liver transplantation.

Face-to-face with death

Recalling the day, Dr. Morey told the audience at Global that he was first apprehensive of being used as a guinea pig. "But my fears were misplaced. I have recovered completely and here I am, celebrating my re-birth," said the man who had seen death racing towards him following cirrhosis of the liver triggered by the Hepatitis B virus.

The doctors at Global and the relatives of Kannambal, who died in a scooter accident in Chennai, had saved his life.

Ramesh Reddy from Prodattur, Vamsi Krishna from Hyderabad and other liver transplant patients from places as far as Surat and Dubai too were present.

The confidence they had shown in Global had prompted the Central Technology Development Board (TDB) as well to fund the hospital, TDB advisor, S.B. Krishnan said.

Need for awareness

The Governor, Sushil Kumar Shinde, lauding Global's achievements, said voluntary organisations like Mohan Foundation should educate relatives of brain-dead individuals to volunteer for organ donation, since demand for liver transplants was increasing with little change in number of donors.

Global Hospitals CMD, K. Ravindranath, said 19 liver transplants were carried out since the first one in 2003.

Finance Minister, K. Rosaiah, Principal Secretary (Health), I.V. Subba Rao and Director, Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences, D. Prasada Rao, spoke.