New Delhi: Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals recently performed successful liver transplant procedures for 11 children from Philippines who were suffering from chronic liver diseases. These children were between the age of 12 months – 15 years were in grave health conditions and needed immediate organ transplants along with specialised medical treatment, any further delay could have been fatal. A team from Apollo assisted the families in aligning permissions for travel while ensuring safety and brought the children to Delhi in specialised chartered flights and got them transferred back to their country post recovery.
After compulsory quarantine the children underwent successful lifesaving liver transplant procedures at Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals. With post-operative observation and care these children have returned to their country on 23rd August.
Dr Anupam Sibal, Group Medical Director and Senior Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Apollo Hospitals, said, “At Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals we have been regularly receiving patients from Philippines and South Asia in the pre-COVID times, but ever since countries-imposed restrictions on travel and movement due to the pandemic, a lot of patients have been deprived of life saving treatment. We were fortunate to have immense support from embassies of both the countries who helped ease the process. Any delay in treatment as they were unable to travel. The first group of patients arrived on 15th August last year. While the last of the group had their transplant several months ago, the families could not travel as there were no flights. Post- transplant 4 children developed COVID in their hotel waiting for their flight. All four made an uneventful recovery.”
Dr. Neerav Goyal, Senior Liver Transplant Surgeon, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, said, “In liver transplant, surgery is performed when patients have a high risk of dying from their disease in the ensuing weeks to month. Since COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon, many of these patients were unlikely to survive the period of pandemic without liver transplant and the patients despite several challenges travelled to us. The youngest baby was 12 months and 8 were less than 18 months of age. In 7 cases, mothers were the donors. We are happy that they have gone back.”
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