Srinagar: Liver diseases can result from many factors such as viral infections (hepatitis B, hepatitis C virus and other infections), excessive consumption of alcohol, autoimmune, drug/medications etc. Every year, approx. 10 lakh patients are reportedly diagnosed with liver cirrhosis across globe.
According to the recent reports of WHO, Liver related diseases are being recognized as one of the second chronic diseases which are becoming the reason of the increasing death rate in India. As per the recent data provided by Globacan India 2020, Liver cancer was ranked 10th among the most frequent cancer in India, accounting for around 35000 cases new cases of liver cancer recorded, which was ranked 12th in 2018.
With Westernization trending up among the Indian youth, poor lifestyle is attributing to an increase in number of liver ailments. Keeping this in view, Fortis Hospital, Gurugram has taken yet another patient-centric step to provide world class healthcare services to the citizens of Srinagar and adjoining areas by launching its exclusive Liver Transplant OPD services at Star Hospital, Srinagar today.
The special OPD services are functional on every Monday to Saturday from 10 AM to 6 PM. The OPD services will not only be providing expert opinions to the local people but also cut down on their travel to metro cities for primary consultations.
Commenting on the need for the special OPD for liver diseases in Srinagar, Dr. Vivek Vij, Chairman, LTP & HBP Surgery, Fortis Hospitals, Delhi-NCR said, “The prevalence of liver diseases is on the rise in the country, owing chiefly to lifestyle factors. However, diagnosis is delayed in over 90% of the patients. The establishment of these specialty OPDs will help patients in tier 2 and 3 cities get specialized and timely consultation. I am absolutely overwhelmed to see overwhelming responses where patients turned up on the very first day of our OPD here today. We found patients suffering from liver issues across a cross-section of people especially those with diabetes, metabolic disorders and those whose alcohol consumption is high.”
Dr. Vij further added, “Over the years, the liver donor surgery procedure has progressed, and it has become a very safe process. Moreover, the laparoscopic liver donor surgery has significant advantages over conventional open donor surgery including less pain, faster recovery, and better aesthetically. Liver is a unique organ which tends to grow back to the near normal size and functioning in a period of few months to a year. Laparoscopic Live Donor liver surgery is the latest innovation in field of LDLT. Under this procedure, the donor surgery is performed through small holes, then the liver is extracted through lower abdomen incision. LDLT is an established treatment for all types of end stage liver diseases including liver cancer. In these patients, timely referral of a patient to a transplant Centre is very important.”
“While liver transplant is giving fresh lease of life to thousands of patients with liver diseases, the steep rise in liver-related problems in recent years makes it even more crucial for patients to have access to early diagnosis. Our focus is to enable patients in need to access timely, expert and quality healthcare services, irrespective of geographic barriers. Currently, Fortis Hospital, Delhi-NCR is the only hospital in India actively performing the laparoscopic donor liver surgery.” said Dr Ashish Singhal, Senior Consultant, LTP & HPB Surgery, Fortis Hospitals, Delhi-NCR.
There is a shift from a traditional infection-related liver disease like hepatitis B and C to the 21st century causes like weight gain, decreasing exercise, increased alcohol consumption, increased incidence of diabetes and longer life expectancy leading to advanced liver disease in patients with multiple other comorbidities. The initial symptoms could be just fatigue and generalised unwellness. As the liver disease advances patient can develop symptoms of jaundice, intestinal bleeding, confusion and water in the belly. Early detection is the key to reversing liver fibrosis as it can restrict or remove causative factors such as limiting alcohol consumption and reduction of weight.
Dr Mir Samiullah, Director Star Hospital, Srinagar also expressed his views and said “We are happy to be associated with one of the leading healthcare providers and I would like to thank the team of doctors from Fortis Hospital Gurugram for providing specialty consultations for the citizen of Srinagar and adjoining areas. This helps the locals to avail best of clinical Fortis Hospitals, Delhi-NCR consultation at the comfort of their home without travelling far for their initial assessment.”
Fortis Hospital, Gurugram has state-of-the-art facilities and its department of HPB and Liver Transplantation has the distinction of being one the most experienced in the NCR region. The hospital deals with the entire spectrum of diseases of the liver, biliary tract, and pancreas that require surgical treatment. The survival rate of its liver transplant patients is comparable with international standards. The mission of the department is to provide state-of-the-art liver treatment using evidence-based guidelines at affordable costs.
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