A DECADE OF LIVER TRANSPLANT IN INDIA

Sanjay Kanthasamy is now 10 years, 5 months old. He was exactly 17-months of age when he underwent liver transplant surgery at Delhi’s Apollo hospital making him the first case in India to have undergone the procedure.

Today he is an active part of the school basketball team and plays other sports like cricket once in a while. “I owe it all to my father who donated 30 per cent of his liver to save my life,” he said.

While it has been an achievement for the boy, it has been a bigger feat for the family to see their only son alive and healthy.

“There can’t be greater joy than seeing him alive. He leads an absolutely normal life like all other boys his age,” said his mother in half English-half Tamil.

“When doctors advised us liver transplantation 10 years ago, we took as chance as there was no option as Sanjay had biliary atresia, where the bile duct between liver and small intestive was blocked and needed transplant to survive. Dr A S Soin and M R Rajashekhar assured us that we were in safe hands and my son would be fine,” she said.

Nihal Upadhyay, who is just 17 months old, underwent the transplant five months ago. “He has recovered well. The surgery was a big decision but it was all worth it,” said his father Vikas, who is also the donor.

Over 60 patients were present in Apollo on Thursday to be a part of a decade of successful liver transplants.

Dr Prathap C Reddy, chairman Apollo hospitals said, “The greatest joy is to see so many parents happy and satisfied. Bringing surgeries to India at an afforable price was a dream and in all these content faces I see fulfillment.”

Since 1998 Apollo has done more than 200 liver transplants.

"In the last two years, Dr Subhash Gupta’s team has carried out 128 liver transplants with 90 percent success rate. A bigger success is that we have had 100 percent success in paediatric cases,” said Anupam Sibal, group medical director of Apollo hospitals


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