Liver Transplant – the only cure!!
Liver cirrhosis is an irreversible structural transformation of a healthy liver to a scarred liver. Liver cirrhosis patients with decompensation, complications, and selected cases of liver cancers need liver transplantation. It is the only curative option in such cases.
However, transplant surgery comes at a cost.
Cost of liver transplant in Ahmedabad and India
The transplant surgery used to cost a fortune in its initial days. With major advances in technology and medicines and more centers coming up with transplant programs, the cost has come down significantly in last few years. Presently, the surgery costs anywhere between 15 lacs and 30 lacs in our country. There are few government hospitals, who have started liver transplant surgeries. The surgical cost is quite lower in such hospitals.
Why is transplant surgery costly?
Liver transplant is a team effort. The donor surgery and recipient surgery are done simultaneously. This surgery needs a team of at least 2-3 trained surgeons and 2-3 trained anesthetists and trained OT staff. The duration of the surgery is quite long, and the recipient surgery usually takes 7-12 hours to complete. The equipment and instruments, required
for the surgery are quite costly. The patient needs to be in ICU for 5-6 days postoperatively under the expertise of trained intensivists. Often, high-end antibiotics and sometimes support from other specialties like radiology, pulmonology, nephrology, cardiology, and physiotherapy are required postoperatively. The patient needs to be in the hospital for 2-3 weeks and sometimes longer. The donor in a living donor liver transplantation also needs to be in the hospital for 6-8 days, which includes an ICU stay of 2-3 days. The blood investigations and radiological investigations are done more frequently and are costlier in a liver recipient than other surgical patients. The cost of liver transplant surgery is high because of all of these factors.
How to arrange the finances for the surgery?
Despite the reduction in the cost of surgery, a liver transplant still costs a mini fortune to a patient. A large proportion of patients are still not able to afford the surgical cost. These patients do not undergo transplants because of financial restraints and unfortunately, most of them do not survive.
There are certain options available for such patients. Government hospitals are running transplant programs successfully for last few years in few states. The cost of the transplants at these hospitals is quite low and is free at some places. The NGOs and trusts have taken an initiative to help needy patients with financial help. Some of them run crowd funding platforms to generate finances for high-cost surgeries like liver transplants. There is a sizable number of children who need liver transplants for survival. Some NGOs work exclusively to help such children financially. Many private and corporate hospitals have discounted packages for pediatric transplants. The Government also provides financial relief from Chief Minister’s fund and Prime Minister’s fund.
Conclusion
The cost of liver transplant has come down significantly in last few years. There are organizations which provide financial help to needy patients. The Government also helps such patients financially.
