Coimbatore: The Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) will become the second government hospital in Tamil Nadu to offer liver transplants if the government provides the necessary infrastructure.CMCH dean Dr Ashokan said that they have started the process to offer liver transplants in the hospital. “We have sent a proposal to the director of medical services (DMS) for more paramedical staff and infrastructure. Once those are provided, we will formally apply for permission to perform liver transplants. DMS will send an expert committee for inspection and once they submit a report, we will know if we are equipped,” he told TOI.Hospital authorities say the process may take several months to come through. “Even assuming we get doctors and the infrastructure, it could further be months before we perform the first liver transplant, because all the factors align rarely. Often, donors suffer from complications we notice only in the last minute. Recipients also develop problems,” he said.The only other government hospital performing liver transplants in the state is the Stanley Medical College in Chennai.A liver transplant costs around Rs 28lakh in private hospitals. While most hospitals agree to perform the same under the comprehensive health insurance scheme within Rs 25lakh, patients from poor backgrounds fear hidden costs.CMCH, which is the tertiary care hospital for the western region, had performed around 15 kidney transplants in 2017, the year the programme was launched. But it has performed only four transplants this year. “The main surgeon performing renal transplants was transferred to Chennai. The new doctor posted to the hospital is likely to join in a month or so, after which the numbers will go up,” said Ashokan.“However, many donors, who come forward, become unfit to donate in the last minute and recipients, who are already sick, often develop complications like high potassium levels, septicemia among other infections, just before the transplant,” he said.

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