Mumbai hospital offers 15 subsidised transplants on 15th anniversary

15 transplants on 15th anniversary: Asian Heart Institute

Mumbai : India’s renowned Asian Heart Institute today commemorated its 15th anniversary.

Expressing his gratitude to patients and citizens alike, Dr.Ramakanta Panda, Padma Bhushan and worlds' leading cardiac surgeon offered 15 heavily subsidised heart transplants, to commemorate the occasion.

It is well known that even though heart transplant as a procedure has celebrated over 2 decades in India, it is yet to gain the required momentum after the transplantation of Human Organs Bill received the President’s assent on 7 July 1994.

Dr. Panda, VC & MD of Asian Heart Institute said, “There is no doubt that organ donation is arguably the biggest gift one can give others world even as one departs from the world. As we celebrate our 15th anniversary we would like to reiterate that organ donation is a priority for Asian Heart Institute for 2017-18, along with our anti-cut practice campaign. We are keen to push forward our organ transplant program and subsidise costs for genuine patients who cannot afford.”

As a thumb rule, a heart transplant can cost upwards of 20 lac for each heart recipient, making it difficult for patients from economically weak backgrounds to afford the same. This, despite the organ coming for free! The hospitalisation, stabilisation costs are immense.

In September 2017, Asian Heart Institute performed its first heart transplant by giving a fresh lease of life to a 39-year-old security guard from Mumbai who had been waiting for nearly two years to undergo the transplant. The unfortunate demise of a teenager from interior Maharashtra gave him a second chance. As with all transplants, this was a classic example of teamwork with tons of contributions. The air ambulance assisted in ensuring the heart arrived to Mumbai in a short time. The traffic police created a green corridor which facilitated the transfer of the heart from the airport to the Bandra hospital in 11 minutes.

At the hospital, the transplant was performed by cardiac surgeons- Dr Pradyot Rath, Dr Sunil Vanzara and Dr Chetan Gaokar duly assisted by cardiologist Dr Santosh Kumar Dora, anaesthetist Dr Swati shah and renowned intensivist Dr Vijay D’Silva.

Dr.Vijay DSilva added, "There's a lot of education to be done, for greater acceptance of transplants and reaching out to those who wouldn't survive without it. We hope we are able to reach out to many deserving patients soon and offer them the gift of life.”