City’s maiden organ retrieval centre to come up at KEM

Medical experts have termed the move as a new lease of life for organ donation

The center will have trained surgeons on organ retrieval and transplant procedures as well as tissue retrieval training centre and laboratory

In a much-needed boost for the organ retrieval programme, a cadaver retrieval operation theatre will be opened on Tuesday at the city’s biggest civicrun King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital. A first-ofits-kind facility for the city, the center will have trained surgeons on organ retrieval and transplant procedures as well as tissue retrieval training centre and laboratory. The decision for setting up the centre was taken keeping in mind the acute shortage of specialist organ transplant surgeons capable of retrieving organs from brain-dead patients.

Dr Sujata Patwardhan, director incharge of regional and state organ and tissue transplant organisation, Mumbai said, “The initiative will not only boost organ donation in the country. But will also overcome the shortage of organ transplant surgeons. Many times we had seen that due to lack of training or poor technique due to which the organ gets damaged during the retrieval process.”

She further said they will also start a one month workshop to provide training to the city’s doctors. “All these doctors will learn the procedure for retrieval and transplant from one body. International faculty, senior surgeons and professors from top medical colleges from India and abroad will teach the doctors about organ retrieval.” According to experts, one cadaver body can be used to train 3034 doctors.

However, it will be a challenge to get a fresh cadaver body for the training purpose, she pointed out, adding that efforts will be made to get donated bodies. If that doesn’t work out then unclaimed dead bodies will be managed with police permission, she said.

Dr Hemant Pathare, heart transplant surgeon, Jaslok Hospital said, “Most of the hospitals are still lacking specialised surgeons capable of retrieving organs from brain-dead patients even when the relative of a deceased agrees to the donation.”