Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Medical University (BSMMU) has successfully conducted a liver transplant surgery, first of this kind at a public hospital in Bangladesh. The free of cost surgery was conducted on Monday on a 20-year-old man after his mother donated a portion of her liver to him, BSMMU physicians announced during a press briefing on Tuesday.
BSMMU Vice Chancellor Professor Kanak Kanti Barua announced the news of the successful surgery of liver transplant at Milton Hall of BSMMU in the capital on Tuesday. Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque was present as a chief guest during the briefing and hailed the surgery as a milestone in the public healthcare sector of Bangladesh.
A team of doctors led by Professor Dr Zulfiqar Rahman Khan, head of Hepatobiliary, pancreatic and liver transplant surgery department conducted the 16-hour long surgery on the man from 6:00am on Monday. “It’s a milestone, we are very proud and hope this turns out successful,” Dr Zulfiqar Rahman Khan said during the briefing.
“We are very hopeful. It has been a great success so far,” the professor said. It is to be mentionable that previously four other liver transplant surgeries were conducted in private hospitals of Bangladesh and have had a 50-50 success rate so far. Secretary of health services Md Asadul Islam was present as a special guest at the programme.
Among others, BMA President Dr Mustafa Jalal Mohiuddin, BSMMU Pro-Vive Chancellor Professor Shahana Akhter Rahman, Treasurer Professor Dr Mohammed Atiqur Rahman were also present at the programme. A renowned Indian liver transplant surgeon Dr Balachandran Menon and his team of surgeons also helped in the liver transplant surgery.