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| Kathmandu Wednesday March 27, 2002 Chaitra 14, 2058. |
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Long way to go for kidney transplant in
country
Post Report
KATHMANDU, March 26: After much anticipation and promises,
experts today said that kidney transplant in Nepal is still going to take more time in
developing infrastructure and manpower.
The team of four experts from New Delhi-based All India
Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) came to the capital on March 23 to assess the
feasibility of kidney transplant in the country’s biggest government- run Bir
Hospital.
Prof S N Mehta, Head of Department of Surgery and Kidney
Transplantation, Prof S K Tiwari, Head of Department of Nephrology and Prof N K Mehra,
Head of Department of Transplant and Immunology were the three experts who had come from
AIIMS. The team had come under the negotiation of Ministry of External Affairs, India and
Minstry of Health, Nepal.
At a press conference held today, the team suggested the
essential upgrading of the infrastructure required and said it needs to develop manpower
critically.
"The hospital has all the basic infrastructure but needs
a few more inputs to commence the transplant activity," Prof Mehta said.
The need to develop manpower has since long been the area of
concern with most of the experts in the hospital as the hospital doesn’t have kidney
surgeons, though they claim they are fully equipped otherwise.
Director of the hospital, Dr Manohar Lal Shrestha said that
they would now focus on sending surgeons and medical personnel for training. The trainings
will be conducted in AIIMS under these experts.
It was acknowledged that the transplant would begin only when
Nepalese surgeons and medical personnels are trained to conduct the activity on their own
without the help of Indian doctors. And with this, the transplant practically might take
long, but doctors at the hospital weren’t able to give the duration exactly.
"But it is important for sustainability of the service
and for the pride of the nation," said Prof Tiwari.
Available data shows that about 50 – 60 kidney patients
go abroad annually, mainly to India, for kidney transplants. Bir Hospital alone gets about
154 kidney transplant cases every year.
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