Kidney, liver failure claimed 2 lakh lives in 14 years: Report

The Asian Age: Mumbai: Monday, 23 March 2015.

A recent RTI report from the state and municipal hospitals has revealed that 2,06,045 lives has been lost to the kidney and liver failure in the last 14 years. The numbers have again brought to light lapses in transplantation facilities.

According to doctors, the limited presence of kidney transplantation facilities, stringent regulations for donation and complete absence of organ transport facilities are leading to fatalities. For liver failure experts see no hope as there are no hospitals in the state that carry out transplantation of the vital organ.

The RTI numbers reveal that while 64,662 people have lost their lives to kidney failure in the state, 81,554 people have died due to liver failure from 2001 to 2012 in the state. Mumbai on the other hand has lost 32,361 lives to kidney failure while 27,468 people succumbed to liver failure from 2001 to 2014.

RTI activist Chetan Kothari has procured the data and the numbers that have been collected from state health department for the years 2001 to 2012 and from municipal and private hospitals in the city from the year 20001 to 2014.

Nephrologists are of the opinion that the actual numbers of deaths must be much higher. “In the population of one million people, over 200 suffer from kidney ailments. Out of them only two are fortunate enough to get a transplant and only 10 per cent are able to get dialysis. The rest face a constant threat to life,” said Dr Bharat Shah, senior nephrologist and transplant specialist from Global Hospital.

The doctors also voiced concern about the number of life-saving opportunities that are lost every day in government and civic hospitals. “Hospitals like KEM, JJ, Sion and Nair get brain-dead patients daily, but fail to extract vital organs that can save people’s lives at affordable rates,” said Dr Haresh Dodeja, senior nephrologist and transplant specialist from Fortis Hospital.

“Even when the patient has given consent for the cadaver donation before dying, the relative is supposed to give his or her consent. This is when they opt against the retrieval of organs,” Dr Sachin Gadkari, Medical Services head, Kohinoor Hospital.

The doctors were of the opinion that the city would have to wait for at least two years for a liver-transplant facility. “The main reason for the absence of a liver transplantation facility in the state is the high-quality infrastructure that it requires, which has been a challenge for most institutions,” said Dr Samir Shah, head of Hepatology, Global Hospital.