Mumbai: The King Edward Memorial (KEM) hospital is planning to set up a heart transplant facility on its premises. This comes on the heels of a 10 per cent rise in the number of heart patients who visit hospitals. According to senior officials, for now, they are recording the number of heart patients and the ones who are in need of transplants.
“We are going to set up a clinic to determine the number of patients staring at heart failure. Patients in need of a transplant will be registered. They will be diagnosed and informed about the types of heart disease,” said Dr Balaji Irani, assistant professor of cardiology, KEM hospital.
In May 2018, the KEM hospital authorities had applied for permission to set up such a facility but the state government did not give them a green signal as the hospital lacked the basic amenities for such a clinic — like a modular operation theatre (OT), dedicated staff and other factors. However, according to an official, “Construction of the modular OT will be completed by May and it will soon be functional.
We hope to get permission shortly and start the transplant facility.” According to Dr Irani, the number of patients with cardiac ailments is on the rise. “We see 10-12 patients in the outpatient department (OPD) on a daily basis. If a patient with heart problems is not treated on time, the outcome is heart failure. A transplant is their only option,” he said.
