Ernakulam General Hospital on the brink of historic heart transplant

KOCHI: Ernakulam General Hospital is on the verge of becoming the first general hospital in India to perform a heart transplant surgery. The hospital and its doctors are fully prepared; all that is needed is a suitable donor heart. The first priority is Nepalese national Durga Kami.

Three others are also on the waiting list- two from Ernakulam and one from Cherthala. Their medical evaluations have already been completed. However, the central government's decision not to give priority to foreign nationals for organ transplants poses a challenge for Durga. She suffers from a condition that thickens the heart walls and grew up in an orphanage due to financial hardship.

Waiting for a year
Ernakulam General Hospital has been ready for heart transplants for a year now. The hospital has a historic reputation- it was the first general hospital in India to perform both kidney transplants and open-heart surgeries. Under the leadership of Dr. Anoop Krishnan, five kidney transplants have already been successfully completed. Following this, with the support of the government’s Mrithasanjeevani program, the hospital began preparations for heart transplants.

Fully equipped for surgery
1. Two modern operation theatres in the Super Speciality Block
2. ICU with a six-member team
3. Post-operative ward with more than 20 beds
4. Heart-lung machine worth Rs 1.5 crore
5. Two HBP monitors and two ECMO machines worth about Rs 50 lakh

Medical team

• 45 members in total
• Dr. George Valooran, Dr. Geopol, Dr. Rahul, Dr. Roshan
• Two anesthetists
• 33 nurses
• Paramedical staff

“We are trying to give first priority to the Nepalese patient. We hope legal hurdles will be resolved soon,” said Dr R. Shaheersha, Superintendent of Ernakulam General Hospital.