KEM Hospital to resume liver transplant service with state-of-the-art facilities

Mumbai's King Edward Memorial Hospital is set to restart its liver transplant unit with five dedicated ICU units, after suspending the program during the Covid-19 pandemic. The hospital has a waiting list of 23 patients and has invested in state-of-the-art equipment and facilities. The liver transplant program will be led by renowned surgeon Dr Ravi Mohanka and will offer surgeries at a significantly lower cost than private hospitals. The hospital has also implemented a "WhatsApp detection program" to identify brain-dead patients for potential organ donations.

Mumbai: King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital in Parel is poised to restart its liver transplant unit, equipped with five dedicated intensive care units, by the end of this month. The hospital’s gastrointestinal department has a waiting list of nearly 23 patients for the upcoming liver transplant programme.

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Dr. Sangeeta Rawat, the dean of KEM Hospital, said, “During the Covid-19 pandemic, we suspended the liver transplant programme. We are restarting it with a state-of-the-art dedicated intensive care unit for patients undergoing liver transplants.”

To enhance accessibility for the general public, KEM Hospital, one of the city’s largest public hospitals initiated liver transplants in July 2010. However, the programme was halted after the demise of both the recipient and the donor in November 2010. Subsequently, the hospital focused on cadaver liver transplants, performing one in 2014. Although the liver transplant programme resumed in 2016, it exclusively conducted cadaver liver transplants.

“Liver transplant surgery is very complex and needs a different set-up. We now have two state-of-the-art modular theatres and a fully equipped ICU with separate cubicles for each patient. The theatres have been designed on the lines of hospitals in Western countries and the ward has a class-I laminar airflow which ensures high-quality clean air to avoid infections in the patients,” said a doctor from the department.

The hospital has appointed liver transplant surgeons and hepatologists as consultants. “They will help us strengthen the liver transplant programme so that more poor patients get benefit.”

Renowned liver transplant surgeon Dr Ravi Mohanka will lead the liver transplants, with his team also assisting in establishing a liver transplant programme at the state-run St George’s Hospital in CST. At private hospitals, liver transplants cost around ₹25 lakh, while KEM Hospital offers the same surgery for ₹5-10 lakh.

The department has also got ₹1 crore worth of high-end equipment for the transplant surgery. “We are grateful for the donor to donate the high-end equipment that’s available in a private hospital. We are set to start transplant services by the end of the month,” said the doctor.

The hospital has also formed a ‘WhatsApp detection programme’ to identify brain-dead patients in the hospital. “This will help boost cadaver donation in KEM Hospital and the transplant programmes we have,” said a doctor.