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Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) plans to double its monthly liver transplant operations from two to four by the end of next year, with a long-term goal of performing one transplant a week.
Dr Md Saif Uddin, an associate professor in BMU’s Department of Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic and Liver Transplantation Surgery, said liver transplantation was gradually becoming part of routine medical care in Bangladesh.
A team of specialists from 19 university departments performs the operations. Professor Bidhan C Das, chairman of the department, said liver transplantation could be life-saving for patients with end-stage liver cirrhosis, liver cancer or severe liver failure. Successful surgery, followed by proper care, can help patients return to normal life.
Records show that 13 liver transplants have been performed in Bangladesh since 2010. BMU conducted eight, while BIRDEM Hospital performed three and Labaid Hospital two. BMU began operating its transplant programme under its own management in 2019.
According to the university, the latest six transplants were performed free of cost with government funding. Five of the six recipients are alive, while one died from an infection. Four other patients who underwent earlier transplants are also doing well.
Doctors estimate BMU’s liver transplant success rate at around 90 percent. The university plans to perform two more transplants on October 30 and 31.