Organ Transplant Specialist from Fortis Hospital Mulund, Mumbai organize organ donation awareness drive in Ahmedabad

Ahmedabad, August 13th, 2021: To highlight the significance of organ donation, and to acknowledge the efforts of courageous donors & recipients of Liver Transplant surgeries, Liver specialists led by Dr Gaurav Gupta, hosted a felicitation ceremony and an awareness drive at Ahemadabad today. Liver recipients Vijay Soni, Bharat Babriya, Suresh Devani, Keshubhai Sakariya and Umakant Mishra came in with their families to support this initiative. 

The initiative led by Dr Gaurav Gupta, Consultant & Chief Surgeon, Dept. of Liver Transplant and HPB Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Mulund, Mumbai, was hosted on the eve of World Organ Donation Day 2021. The drive was organized in keeping with the declining numbers of organ donations during the pandemic. The initiative highlighted the growing need for organ transplants and the plight of patients during the past 16 months of the pandemic. Fear has taken precedence and so there is a huge drop in the number of organ donations and subsequent transplants. The initiative was aimed to sensitize people on the significance of organ donation and how this noble act of giving can save many lives. 

Dr Gaurav Gupta, Consultant & Chief Surgeon, Dept. of Liver Transplant and HPB Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Mulund Mumbai said, “In India, the cause of organ donation has gradually and progressively gained momentum, but the COVID19 pandemic dealt a heavy blow to this effort. Over time, there has been a growing awareness about organ donation and transplants amongst the people of Gujarat. However, there has been a long unmet need for organ transplants, especially for patients with chronic Liver diseases. While the city has some hospitals providing transplant and liver care services, yet there is unmet need amongst Liver patients. Additionally, the pandemic led people to focus on their COVID19 & related illnesses, while completely sidelining other ailments that may need life-saving interventions and urgent attention. And so, on World Organ Donation Day, we would like to increase community education and help clear their doubts about the cause.”

“Ahmedabad has a high incidence of NASH-related Liver Cirrhosis among adults & Biliary Atresia and Wilson’s Disease amongst children. These conditions, if not detected at an early stage, will make Liver transplants a necessity for survival. Through this initiative, we aim to bridge this gap and offer specialized care for such patients”, added Dr Gaurav Gupta. 

Liver recepiant Mr. Vijay Soni mentioned, “1.5yrs back I was diagnosed with Liver Cirrhosis and Cancer. After consulting with many doctors, it was ascertained that only a Liver Transplant could save my life. But at that time due to the pandemic, there were no cadaver donors available. I was running out of time and my wife stepped in to donate a part of her Liver. However, I was not willing to risk her life, but my wife was determined and the doctors also counseled me that my wife’s quality of life would not be affected, and that I would also be free from the disease. Finally I agreed to the transplant and 6mnths back the transplant was conducted. Today, we both live a healthy life”.

Adding to this Dr S. Narayani, Zonal Director, Fortis Hospitals Mumbai, said, “Understanding the growing need for specialized Liver care and transplant services in Ahemadabad, our team of Liver specialsts offered support through a specialized clinics. This is a progressive step towards making Liver care accessible to patients. This coupled with focused awareness programs about Organ Donation will certainly help bridge the donor-recipient need gap in the coming months”.