New Delhi, India (CU)_ The Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals in the capital New Delhi recently celebrated a milestone success of completing 100 liver transplant surgeries on kids from the Philippines, and the youngest of whom was a four-month-old infant. Over the past five years, Apollo has been assisting Filipino youngsters in obtaining liver transplants, mostly with the support of families across the country, as the surgery may cost up to P5 million for them, without the cost of maintenance and medicine.
While the COVID-19 pandemic posed a difficulty for Apollo, the hospital group ensured that the children received the necessary help and travel authorizations so that timely treatment could be provided to them. As many as 53 youngsters were transplanted in the midst of the pandemic over the past two years. The youngest of the transplants was a newborn weighing 3.5 kilos.
During a ceremony at Hilton Manila commemorating the milestone success, Dr. Anupam Sibal, Senior Pediatric Gastroenterologist at Apollo, highlighted that 65 percent of liver transplants were from the children’s moms, 30 percent from their dads, and 5 percent from other relatives, friends, or outside donors. Sibal said, “We would be happy if no one will ever need [to get] a transplant, but this is the reality”. Sibal stated that the future of these transplanted youngsters is now brighter, noting the fact that one of Apollo’s first patients in India is now a practicing physician.
Shambhu Kumaran, the Indian Ambassador to the Philippines, compared the milestone success to that of a century in cricket, which is India’s most favorable sport. Highlighting on the concept that the relation between the two countries is a partnership based on the interests of the people, Kumaran said, “We are all partners in a noble journey… India and the Philippines are deeply committed to have a relationship that benefits our people”. At the occasion, a number of transplanted children participated in a mini-modeling event with their parents, and others sang Nikki Gil’s “Glowing Inside.”
