Panel to study Transplant Centre

HIMALAYAN NEWS SERVICE

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Health and Population formed a nine-member committee today to study the organisational aspects of establishing a human organ transplant centre.

Member secretary of the committee Dr Puskar Chandra Shrestha said the committee had to estimate and infrastructural resources required to establish the centre along with the total cost of the project. Shrestha said the committee would also design the centre’s operation procedures and organisational structure.

We are going to recommend that the government establish the centre in the premises of Bhaktapur Hospital where a new 200-bed capacity building is being constructed Dr Shrestha said.

Following a failed attempt in 2004, renal transplantation was re-started in Bir Hospital and Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital two year ago.

The centre will be established as per the cabinet decision on September 28.

According to the National Kidney Centre, there are over 2,700 new kidney failure cases across the country each year. Over 2.7 million people in the country suffer from a kidney ailment of one type or another. The data further showed that in 2005/06 there were only 12,663 kidney patients in the country. The number grew to 16,015 in 2006/07 and 19,118 in 2007/08.