- This new initiative will cater to the increasing number of patients in Karnataka in need of heart and lung Failure management and transplant
- The program will be led by India’s largest and highly experienced team of transplant specialists from MGM Healthcare, Chennai who have completed over 500 heart and lung transplants in India
Bengaluru : SPARSH Group of Hospitals has partnered with MGM Healthcare, Chennai, a leading quaternary care super-specialty hospital in Chennai, to establish a heart and lung failure management and transplant program in Bengaluru. As a part of the initiative, SPARSH in association with MGM Healthcare will offer a comprehensive transplant program covering heart and lung transplants.
An estimated 5 lakh Indians die each year waiting for organ transplants. A report by NOTTO (National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation) suggests that close to 50,000 people suffer from heart failure in India each year, yet only 10 to 15 heart transplants are undertaken annually. The deceased organ donation rate in India at less than 1 percent per million population, is a major handicap and translates to less than one person per million opting to donate their organs. Superstitions and stigma, lack of transplant coordinators, and lack of required infrastructure for certifying and maintaining brain-dead patients are the reasons behind the low donation numbers in India. While the lack of organ donation is one side of the story, another aspect is the absence of required processes, qualified professionals, and necessary hospital infrastructure facilities.
SPARSH Multi-Organ Transplant Centre has been designed to address the gaps that exist in organ transplant and the management of organ failure. Over the last several years, SPARSH has been undertaking pioneering work in the areas of Liver, Kidney, and Pancreas in Karnataka. With this collaboration with India’s Largest Heart and Lung Transplant Team at MGM Healthcare, Chennai, SPARSH will now provide heart and lung transplants for patients with end-stage heart and lung failure.
In the event of availability of organs, a team of heart & lung transplant experts from MGM Healthcare will carry out the procedure at the state-of-the-art SPARSH Multi Organ Transplant Centre at Mysore Road, Bangalore. SPARSH will provide the necessary pre-operative transplant work-up.
MGM Healthcare’s heart and lung transplant team is led by Dr. KR Balakrishnan, a renowned cardiothoracic surgeon and heart-lung transplant specialist with over 30 years of experience in the field. Dr. Balakrishnan has a record of completing over 503 heart and lung transplants and he has performed over 16,000 cardiac surgeries for various types of heart diseases and disorders.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Sharan Shivaraj Patil, Chairman, SPARSH Hospital, said, “We are happy to partner with MGM Healthcare, Chennai to offer a comprehensive and state-of-the-art heart and lung transplant programme for the people of Karnataka. Dr. KR Balakrishnan is a leader in the field of heart and lung transplantation. His expertise and in-depth understanding of the intricacies of heart and lung transplant will allow us to build a transplant program in the shortest time, and offer the best of care for our patients.”
“At SPARSH Hospital, our aim is to increase the overall organ transplant numbers in Karnataka by significantly improving the utilization of organs. With our infrastructure, skilled paramedics, and critical care support along with MGM Healthcare’s experienced multidisciplinary team of experts, we want to mitigate the gaps in organ transplants in Karnataka”, Dr. Sharan added.
Dr R Ravi Kumar, Sr.Consultant & Associate Clinical Lead -Cardiology & Heart Failure Program, Cardiology & Heart Failure Program, MGM Healthcare, said, “ Heart failure is a condition where the heart has to work much harder to pump blood and meet the body’s needs. If identified early, there is a much better chance of treating the condition. Heart transplant for end-stage heart failure has shown tremendous success. At MGM Healthcare, we have seen many stories of long-term survivorship and improved quality of life post transplant. Through this partnership with SPARSH, we want to impact many more lives and emphasize the positive impact it can have”
Dr. KR Balakrishnan, Chairman & Director, Institute of Cardiac Sciences, Director of Heart and Lung Transplantation Programme and Mechanical Circulatory Support, MGM Healthcare, said, “Organ transplants require a well-seasoned multidisciplinary team of experts and the availability of advanced infrastructure to ensure best possible outcomes for patients. Currently, there is a dearth of state-of-the-art transplant centres and expertise, which has led to a decrease in donor heart utilisation. We aim to address this issue and ensure timely services to those in need of heart and lung transplantation. We look forward to a fruitful collaboration with SPARSH”
Dr. Prashanth Rajagopalan, Director, MGM Healthcare, said, “MGM Healthcare is happy to extend its seasoned expertise in the space of Heart & Lung transplant to SPARSH Hospital. With this association, we intend to reach out to more people who would be in urgent need for transplant in this region. The expertise coupled with infrastructure paves the way for a successful endeavour to enhance the patient centric approach of MGM Healthcare.”