E-Paper
State constitutes 8-member committee to probe Pune’s fatal liver transplant case
Maharashtra public health department on Thursday appointed eight-member committee to investigate deaths of couple following liver transplant surgery at Sahyadri Super Speciality Hospitals
PUNE: The Maharashtra public health department on Thursday appointed an eight-member high-level committee to investigate the deaths of a couple following a liver transplant surgery at Sahyadri Super Speciality Hospitals, Deccan.
The committee will be headed by Prof Dr Mohamed Rela, renowned liver transplant surgeon and President of the International Liver Transplant Society, Chennai.
Other members include Dr Ram Prabhu, liver transplant surgeon at KEM Hospital, Mumbai; Dr Rahul Pandit, intensivist and former vice-president of Indian Society of Critical Care Medicine (ISCCM); Dr Vasant Nagvekar, infectious diseases specialist and secretary of the National ID Society of India; Dr Vijay Vohra, pioneer in liver transplant anesthesia and founder member of the Liver Transplant Anesthesia Society of India; Dr Akash Shukla, hepatologist at KEM Hospital and president of Regional cum State Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (ROTTO-SOTTO) Maharashtra; Dr Padamsen Ranbagale, surgeon at Sassoon General Hospital, Pune; and Dr Bhagwan Pawar, deputy director of health services, Pune, who will serve as secretary of the committee.
The case involves Bapu Komkar, 48, who underwent a liver transplant on August 15 with his wife Kamini Komkar, 41, as the live donor. Bapu’s health deteriorated soon after surgery and he died the same day. Kamini later developed complications and died during treatment on August 22. Relatives have alleged medical negligence and demanded a probe.
The high-level committee was constituted following a meeting of the state advisory committee on August 26, chaired by Dr Nitin Ambadekar, director of health services. In the meeting, it was decided to suspend the liver transplant licence of Sahyadri Hospital and set up an inquiry panel.
Dr Bhagwan Pawar, deputy director of health services and secretary of the committee, said the hospital’s live liver transplant services will remain suspended until the probe is completed. The committee has been asked to submit its report within four weeks.
“The health department has noted the seriousness of the case and decided that a special probe panel be formed to determine the exact cause of death of the donor and recipient,” said Pawar.
A statement by Sahyadri Hospitals read, “At present, an inquiry by the government and regulatory authorities is underway, and all aspects of the liver transplant programme are under evaluation by them. We are cooperating with the authorities. In view of the ongoing inquiry, we refrain from making comments until the evaluation is concluded.”
