Patients in Odisha will no longer have to spend their fortunes and go in search for liver transplantation outside the State as a much-awaited facility for the costly life-saving procedure has been inaugurated at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack.
State Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das formally inaugurated a state-of-the-art liver transplant unit at the premier healthcare institute on Monday.
The necessary infrastructure for the liver transplant unit has been developed at SCB at a cost of Rs 22 crore. The surgery ward will commence operation in a few months, sources said.
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Usually, liver transplantation costs Rs 25 to 30 lakh. However, the treatment will be provided to patients free of cost. The liver transplantation surgery will be jointly conducted by the Hepatology and Gastrology departments of the hospital.
Terming the availability of the facility historic, Health Minister Naba Das said, “Poor people will be greatly benefited by this treatment facility in Odisha. I must be thankful to the principal, superintendent, and concerned departments whose efforts made this possible.”
As per information, many patients have registered their names in the OPD (Outpatient Department) to avail the treatment.
Notably, the State government had announced to start liver transplant unit in SCB in 2013. A year earlier in 2012, kidney transplant unit became functional at the government-run hospital.