Pune: Chennai-based liver transplant institute ties up with Ruby Hall Clinic

Speaking to the media on Friday, Rela said liver disease was common in the country and there were few states like Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu that had taken a lead in organ donation.

Rela, a pioneer in the field of liver transplantation with more than three decades of experience who has performed over 5,000 liver transplant surgeries to date, will also visit the city to perform surgeries. However, he said there was a massive misunderstanding among people that if they were diagnosed with liver cirrhosis, they need a transplant. He said patients of liver failure can be treated without transplantation.

Rela has set up a living donor liver transplant programme, performing over 250 liver transplants a year. Talking about the initiative in Pune, Rela said, “For a patient, living with liver disease requires a partnership that includes the patient and a team of multidisciplinary experts who understand the condition. And this is exactly what we provide. Our vision is to develop this centre into one of excellence in liver diseases and transplantation in all of Maharashtra in the near future. We are partners with Ruby Hall Clinic and hope to provide specialised services for liver diseases.”

Kishore Pujari, chief operating officer at Ruby Hall Clinic, said that for years, ailments ranging from alcoholic liver disease, autoimmune hepatitis, fatty liver disease to even liver cirrhosis, have affected Indians. While infrastructure is set to keep pace with continuously evolving medical and surgical technology, the multidisciplinary team offers depth of experience and skill in using conventional, innovative and investigation methods, as well as research advances to diagnose and manage even the most complex cases. A separate transplant intensive care unit (ICU), the first in Pune, will also be available to patients, he added.

Early detection, diagnosis and advanced new treatment will go a long way in helping treat several patients, said Dr Manoj Shrivastav, liver surgeon and programme in-charge, Dr Rela Institute at Ruby Hall Clinic.