Indian & Pakistani docs save life of minor Afghan girl

◗ Hadia had been unwell in Afghanistan for some time and her liver was failing. In the end, the only option doctors had to save her was a liver transplant.

A three- year- old baby from Afghanistan, suffering from a chronic liver disease, was saved by efforts of doctors in India and Pakistan.

The baby was first admitted to a Lahore hospital but could not be treated there and her disease became severe. Baby Hadia Nesari was then shifted to a city- based hospital here, where she underwent a liver transplant. Since the family could not afford the treatment, a doctor from Pakistan funded it and the hospital offered it at a subsidised rate.

“Hadia had been unwell in Afghanistan for some time and was referred to my department at Children’s Hospital, Lahore. We admitted her in a seriously ill condition. She had contracted chronic liver disease and despite our best efforts, her disease became severe and the organ became cirrhotic. Essentially, her liver was failing. In the end, the only option was a liver transplant,” said Dr Huma Cheema, a Pakistan- based Paediatric Hepatologist. The doctor then referred her to Indraprastha Apollo Hospital in the national capital for a transplant.

“As the blood vessels in a young child are very small we needed to take extra care to plan the transplant. Her father Ahmed Fawad became her liver donor. We performed a successful 12- hour long liver transplant surgery on the patient last month. Baby Hadia is doing well now, and all her tests are normal,” Dr Neerav Goyal, Senior Consultant, Liver Transplant and Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic Surgery Department, Apollo Hospital.

When the family was counselled, her father said that he is a teacher and couldn’t afford the proposed treatment, following which Dr Cheema decided to fund the treatment herself. Dr Anupam Sibal, director, Paediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Apollo Hospitals said, “In about 20 per cent of children needing a liver transplant, the cause cannot be identified as it was with Hadia.