Tamil Nadu will continue to excel in organ transplants, says Edappadi K Palaniswami

Chennai: Tamil Nadu leads in the country when it comes to the number of organ transplant surgeries and the state continues to excel in transplant surgery due to initiatives taken by former chief minister J. Jayalalithaa, Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami said on Saturday.

Pointing out that TN is the only state which spends up to '35 lakh per patient for rare organ transplant surgeries, the CM during his inaugural speech at the 8th edition of the Master Class in Liver Disease Ceremony here recalled that TN was the first to have a dedicated department at Stanley Hospital to perform complicated liver surgeries.

Felicitating a 20-year-old law student from Ireland Baebhen Sutke, who underwent liver transplantation when she was a five-day baby by TN based surgeon Dr Mohamad Rela in London.

Palaniswami commended Dr Rela for bringing laurels to the state of Tamil Nadu. “The young Irish girl is a living example of medical development and the contribution by a TN doctor”, he said, urging the doctors to continue the medical advancements in the state.

So far 6,097 organ transplants have been done after harvesting organs from 1,082 brain dead patients. A brain dead donor can give organs to nine beneficiaries, Palaniswami emphasised and noted that the state was ready to extend all its support. TN is also providing all life saving medicines and antibiotics free of cost for rare surgeries and a dedicated Green Corridors are formed to transplant organs during the time of surgeries, he added.

“Tamil Nadu is the trendsetter in all forms of high end surgeries and diagnosis. When it comes to liver transplants TN had performed 24 rare surgeries”, health minister C. Vijayabhaskar said. Renowned liver surgeon Dr Rela and health secretary Dr. J. Radhakrishnan also spoke and interacted with the liver transplant patients who had lived to tell the tale of rare surgeries.