SPARSH Hospital launches Multi-Organ Transplant Centre
The new Multi-Organ Transplant Centre will comprise a team of 50 highly experienced specialists with expertise in Heart & Lung, Liver, Kidney, and Bone Marrow Transplant
Bengaluru : SPARSH Group of Hospitals has launched a new Multi-Organ Transplant Centre at Sparsh RR Nagar Unit, Mysore Road, Bengaluru to offer comprehensive and multidisciplinary care to patients. Led by Dr. Kumud Dhital, a globally renowned Heart & Lung Transplant Surgeon, SPARSH Multi-Organ Transplant Centre brings together a team of 50 highly experienced transplant specialists who will provide integrated care during every step of the transplant process.
An estimated 5,00,00 lakh Indians die each year waiting for organ transplants. A report by NOTTO (National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organization) suggests that only 1500 of the 30,000 patients requiring liver transplants annually benefit from this life saving procedure. Similarly, the discrepancy is considerably worse for heart and lung transplants. The deceased organ donation rate in India at less than 1 percent per million population, is a major handicap, and translates to less than one person per million opting to donate their organs. Superstitions and stigma, lack of transplant coordinators, and lack of required infrastructure for certifying and maintaining brain-dead patients are the reasons behind the low donation numbers in India. While lack of organ donation is one side of the story, the other is the lack of required processes, skilled experts, hospital infrastructure, and the lack of sufficient examples of long-term organ transplant survivors in the community that become the role models for organ transplantation.
SPARSH Multi-Organ Transplant Centre has been designed to address the gaps that exist in organ transplant and the management of organ failure. The 50 member multidisciplinary team at SPARSH encompasses a group of highly skilled and experienced doctors. Over the last several years, Sparsh has been undertaking pioneering work in the areas of Liver, Kidney, and Bone Marrow transplantation. With Dr Dhital joining the team, SPARSH will now offer a comprehensive transplant program covering Heart & Lung, Liver, Pancreas, Kidney, and Bone Marrow transplant. From the time of evaluation to post-transplant care and long-term survivorship, the team at SPARSH led by Dr. Kumud Dhital, has the skills, infrastructure, and experience to handhold patients at every step.
Dr Kumud Dhital has been associated with top hospitals across the UK, Europe, and Australia before joining SPARSH. Known for his expertise in complex heart and lung surgeries, Dr. Dhital specialises in the management of end-stage heart and lung failure including heart and lung transplantation as well as in the implantation of mechanical circulatory support devices. He is globally renowned for being the surgical pioneer of DCD (donation after circulatory death) Heart Transplantation, the first series of which he performed in 2014 at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, Australia.
The launch event was inaugurated by Dr. K Sudhakar, Minister of Medical Education and Health, Government of Karnataka.
Dr. K Sudhakar, Minister of Medical Education and Health, Government of Karnataka, said, “There is an urgent need to encourage more people to come forward for organ donation and emphasise the positive impact that organ transplant can have on the lives of patients and their families. Dr. Sharan Patil along with Dr. Kumud and his team are addressing a large unmet need by catering to the increasing number of patients in Karnataka who need an organ transplant. We need more initiatives like this that will help in making Bengaluru the most sought-after city for advanced medical care.”
Dr. Kumud Dhital, Program and Surgical Director, Heart & Lung Transplant, SPARSH Hospital, said, “I am thrilled to be leading a team of highly qualified and experienced doctors who have the complementary expertise to bring out the best possible outcomes for our patients. Organ transplantation requires integrated multidisciplinary delivery of care and complex logistics, where each member of the team functions at the highest level. At SPARSH, we have a deep rooted understanding of the intricacies involved in an organ transplant and why it requires such an integrated teamwork and collaborative mindset. Our team is focused on creating the best possible outcomes for our patients by providing comprehensive care at every step of a patient’s transplant journey”
Dr. Sharan Shivaraj Patil, Chairman, SPARSH Hospital, said, “Building awareness about organ donation and transplant in India requires a grassroots approach. From addressing the stigma around organ donation to sensitizing the medical fraternity about the benefits of transplant, we have to first address the information gap that currently exists. Furthermore, there is a need to create the right infrastructure in hospitals and build experienced multidisciplinary teams that can help improve the status quo. At SPARSH, we aim to be a leader in multi-organ transplantation where we not only offer transplants but also provide the required training and share our best practices with other institutions to improve the overall organ transplant numbers in Karnataka and across the country. Our goal is to further add value to Bengaluru’s reputation as the hub for advanced healthcare”