Liver transplant facility to be provided by Turkish hospitals

LAHORE: Turkish Health Ministry and the Punjab government will collaborate in human organs transplantation, especially liver transplantation, training and capacity building of doctors, nurses in this field as well as transfer of technology.

Medical tourism would be promoted between Turkey and Pakistan and Turkish hospitals would provide liver transplantation facility to the Pakistani patients on subsidised rates.It was announced in a meeting between Minister for Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Khawaja Salman Rafique, Minister for Primary & Secondary Health Khawaja Imran Nazir with the delegation of Turkish Ministry of Health at Civil Secretariat on Thursday, according to a handout issued on Thursday. Turkish delegation was headed by Director General International Affairs and European Union Ministry of Health Dr Oner Gunner and transplant specialist Dr Murat Ozturk and Dr Mehmat Ali Aydin included in the delegation.

Dr Oner Gunner said that Turkish hospitals are successfully carrying out transplantation operations of liver, lungs, intestine, kidney and heart. He informed that at present 38 transplantation centres are providing these services in Turkey. He offered that Turkish Ministry of Health would provide liver transplantation services to the patients of brother country Pakistan on subsidised rates as compared to international market.

Kh Salman Rafiq said state-of-the-art mega project for liver and kidney transplantation in the name of Pakistan Kidney, Liver Transplantation and Research Institute is being established in Lahore at a cost of Rs 20 billion and the first phase of the project would be completed by December this year. He said that PKLI is a flagship project of Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif. He said after completion of PKLI, liver and kidney transplantation facility would be started in the first month of next year.

Kh Salman Rafiq revealed that the CM provided grants of billions of rupees for liver transplantation of poor and deserving patients in different countries. He said by provision of this facility in Turkey the waiting list of liver patients would be reduced.

The Turkish delegation informed that every year, on average 12 thousand transplantation surgeries are being conducted in Turkey. Dr Oner disclosed that last year 88 heart transplantation surgeries were also conducted successfully.

Secretary Specialized Health Najam Ahmad Shah stressed the need for evolving a system for collaboration between Turkish Ministry of Health and Punjab government for this purpose. He proposed that a technical committee also be constituted.

On this proposal, Minister Kh Salman Rafiq constituted technical committee comprising Director General PHOTA Prof Dr Faisal Masood and Turkish consultant Dr Murat Ozturk which would finalize the matters to promote collaboration in this field and more sub-committees would also be constituted to prepare feasibility for cooperation between Turkish Ministry of Health and Punjab government.