PGI’s liver transplant unit stillborn

LUCKNOW: Lying unutilised and dysfunctional for the last five years, the eight-storey liver transplant unit at SGPGIMS is in dire need of critical care.

It was built at a cost of ₹200 crore, including advanced machines worth crores that have now become outdated without even their covers being removed.

To bring the issue to the notice of state administration, the faculty members of the department of surgical gastroenterology at the Sanjay Gandhi Post-Graduate

SGPGI DIRECTOR SAID HE WAS LOOKING INTO THE ISSUE AND LIVER TRANSPLANT UNIT WOULD BECOME FUNCTIONAL SOON

Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) have written to the UP chief secretary.

Hindustan Times is in possession of the letter handed over by faculty members to outgoing chief secretary Rajive Kumar last week. Kumar retires from service on June 30.

A faculty member, who did not wish to be named, said: “Work on the project began eight years ago. The unit’s building got ready five years back but not even a single liver transplant has been carried out here till date.”

SGPGI director Prof Rakesh Kapoor, however, said he was looking into the issue and the liver transplant unit would become functional soon. In their letter, the faculty members alleged that the authorities were misleading the government by adding hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) surgery in the liver transplant unit without the approval of SGPGI’s governing body.

“The governing body had given approval to liver transplant unit only. The head of the department was found guilty of altering the facility from liver transplant unit to HPB and liver transplant centre. Action was recommended against him by an inquiry committee headed by the then UP principal secretary, health, Siddharth Behura and then directorgeneral, medical education and training, Dr Kamal Sahany but the SGPGI authorities took no action against him,” another faculty member said.

In the letter, the faculty members said the SGPGI administration bought advanced machines like MARSH liver dialysis unit worth crores of rupees but even their covers were not removed. “The machines have now become outdated and even its maintenance contract has expired,” they added.

“Who is to be blamed for the wastage of public money,” asked a faculty member.

According to the letter, SGPGI took a loan of ₹472 crore from the State Bank of India (SBI) for various requirements and the first instalment of ₹42 crore was sanctioned to HBP Centre which did not exist according to the governing body’s documents.

The faculty members said they earlier proposed to use this facility as organ transplant centre which includes kidney, pancreas and liver transplant to reduce the waiting list of kidney transplant patients from 1-2 years to a month but they did not get the nod of the authorities.

SGPGI director Prof Rakesh Kapoor said: “When the liver transplant unit was proposed, it was a separate subspecialty. Gradually, it was recognised that hepatobiliary and liver transplant should be in the same specialty area as they complement each other.”

“I feel the transplant unit should start functioning first and should be followed by HPB subspecialty,” he added

Prof Kapoor said he was in regular contract with the faculty members of the department.

“Nothing will be done without the approval of the governing body. The transplant unit will become functional soon,” he added.