Advancements in medical procedures have come as a boon to many, saving them from the cusp of death. But the stress of arranging funds makes it harrowing for many, especially in rural areas. However, a hospital in Gadag district in North Karnataka has been serving the needy by performing kidney transplants at a nominal price and is also creating awareness about kidney transplants and other organ donations.
The Rural Medical Services KH Patil Hospital and Research Institute in Hulkoti village in the district carried out a successful kidney transplant on April 24, which the doctors here claim to be a first in a rural hospital. The hospital is equipped with modular operation theatres with the necessary medical equipment to carry out complex surgical procedures. The donor in this case was a 55-year-old woman who donated her kidney to her 32-year-old son. Both the donor and recipient have recovered well after the procedure. The donor was discharged three days after the operation, and the recipient five days later.
The hospital is the dream child of late KH Patil, senior Congress leader and former minister. Patil had envisioned a well-equipped hospital with all the amenities in Hulkoti that would enable complex medical procedures. This dream has now become a reality thanks to the dedicated team effort of the hospital management and staff under Dr SR Nagnur and leadership of Dr Avinash Odugoudar.
The doctors here claim that they are not doing it for commercial purposes, but to help needy patients. “Kidney transplants in Bengaluru cost anywhere between Rs 15 and Rs 20 lakh, but in Hulkoti it is Rs 5 lakh,” said a doctor.
The hospital team has shown that with the right human resources, equipment, perseverance and commitment to serve, such procedures are achievable even in a rural hospital. A lifesaving procedure is now affordable and accessible without any hassle, they claim.
Dr Odugoudar (Consultant Urologist and Transplant Surgeon) and Dr Deepak Kurahatti (Consultant Nephrologist) have not only trained the staff, but also guided and motivated the team to perform this operation at the hospital.
Dr Odugoudar, who completed his training in Urology at KMC Manipal and thereafter earned a fellowship in Renal Transplant from Liverpool and Robotic Surgery for Uro-Oncology from Leeds, UK, returned to his village of Hulkoti with the intention of serving his people and making renal transplants affordable and accessible to the common people.
Dr Kurahatti has undergone training at Apollo Hospitals in Bengaluru. The team also comprises Dr Bhuvanesh Aradhya, Dr Pavan Koliwad, Dr Sameer Desai, Dr Meghana Hipparagi, Dr Vishal K and Dr Vinayak Panchagar, who have worked at various hospitals.
After the first successful operation, the hospital management is now determined to continue to spread awareness about renal failure and facilitate accessible, affordable transplant services.
The team has been raising awareness about kidney diseases over the last three years. On the second Thursday of March every year, the team, in collaboration with Sankalpa Super Speciality Hospital in Gadag, organises events to educate people to identify the early signs of kidney diseases to expedite early diagnosis and appropriate treatment. A dedicated ‘Transplant Clinic’ is run every Saturday to evaluate and educate patients and their families about kidney transplants.
Dr Naganur said, “The most transplanted organ in India is the kidney. However, the current number of transplants (11,243) is insufficient to meet the estimated demand of 2,00,000 renal failures a year. India has a very high burden of chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Many patients rely on dialysis for their entire lives, while waiting for a donor or financial support for a surgery in private hospital. Hence, we thought of performing this transplantation in rural areas to make it affordable for rural people.”
source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)