The rich had to fly to London for the transplantation, which cost about Rs 60 – Rs 80 lakhs
Dr Ravindranath with former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam.
Chennai: Prior to 1998, undergoing liver transplantation was out of reach of many in India. The rich had to fly to London for the transplantation, which cost about Rs 60 – Rs 80 lakhs. But money was not the only criterion. Priority was given to UK nationals and Indians had to wait for the organ.
But this scenario totally changed when former President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who saw the pangs of sufferings of his friend and scientist from DRDO Haridwar Singh undergoing liver transplantation in London and returned home with a British liver, encouraged liver transplant in India.
“He not only witnessed the sufferings of his friend, but also took great effort in ensuring that Haridwar Singh survived,” says Dr K. Ravindranath, who gave up his highly lucrative medical career in the UK to serve India. Dr Ravindranath returned to India in 1998 and established the Global Hospitals Group, a multi-organ transplant centre at Hyderabad.
“This is one of the reasons why I returned to India. Many good doctors became part of my team. But the motivating force was Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam who had been a great support to me in establishing liver transplantation facility in Hyderabad, Chennai and other metros,” says Dr Ravindranath who was in the team that performed the transplantation in London.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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