State revokes suspension of liver transplant at Sahyadri Hospitals
The 16-member state advisory committee under the chairmanship of public health department secretary reviewed the case at Mantralaya in Mumbai on November 6 before taking the decision.
Pune: The Maharashtra public health department on Thursday revoked the suspension on live liver transplant surgeries at Sahyadri Super Speciality Hospitals, Deccan Gymkhana, after a high-level inquiry found no evidence of medical negligence in the deaths of a liver donor and recipient earlier this year, said officials.
The 16-member state advisory committee under the chairmanship of public health department secretary reviewed the case at Mantralaya in Mumbai on November 6 before taking the decision. The committee examined the findings of the eight-member expert inquiry panel, headed by renowned liver transplant surgeon professor Dr Mohammed Rela, president, International Liver Transplant Society.
The case involves Bapu Komkar, 48, who underwent a liver transplant on August 15 with his wife Kamini Komkar, 41, as the live donor. Bapu’s health deteriorated soon after surgery, and he died the same day. Kamini later developed complications and died during treatment on August 22, said officials.
The state launched a suo motu investigation into the case, and suspended the hospital’s live liver transplant licence on August 26, besides forming a committee to probe the case of alleged medical negligence.
According to the inquiry report, there were no procedural errors or medical lapses in the treatment provided to the donor and recipient. The committee reviewed medical records, surgical procedures and post-operative care before concluding that the deaths were not caused by clinical negligence, said Dr Bhagwan Pawar, deputy director of health services and member secretary of the committee.
Dr Pawar said the director of health services, Mumbai, issued a letter on November 27 instructing the appropriate authority to cancel the suspension. “The suspension of the live liver transplant licence of Sahyadri hospitals has been revoked with immediate effect as per the provisions of the Human Organ Transplantation Act, 1994,” he said.
The Maharashtra public health department has reinstated live liver transplant surgeries at Sahyadri Super Speciality Hospitals after an inquiry cleared the facility of medical negligence linked to the deaths of a donor and recipient. The 16-member advisory committee reviewed findings from an expert panel, confirming no procedural errors in the August surgeries. The hospital's suspension was initially imposed in August following the deaths.