Kozhikode, Feb 7 (IANS) Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Saturday said that the establishment of the Kerala Institute of Organ Transplantation represents one of the state’s most exemplary interventions in the healthcare sector.

He was laying the foundation stone for the “first dedicated “organ transplant hospital, being set up at Chevayur in Kozhikode under the Health Department.

The institute is being established with state-of-the-art facilities to bring all activities related to organ transplantation, including all types of transplant surgeries, under one roof.

The target is to perform annually 1,100 cornea transplants, 520 kidney transplants, 320 liver transplants, 15 intestinal transplants, 15 pancreas transplants, 50 heart transplants, 40 lung transplants, 120 bone marrow transplants, and 300 soft tissue/finger/hand/bone/face transplants.

The Chief Minister said the organ transplant hospital would emerge as an institution without parallels.

At a time when the healthcare sector is undergoing rapid change, organ transplant surgeries have become critically important.

In the private sector, these procedures involve enormous expenses, and costs vary widely from one hospital to another for the same surgery.

Many families find such expenses unbearable.

It was in this context that experts proposed the establishment of such a hospital.

He expressed hope that the project would be completed on schedule and sought the support of all sections to make it a reality.

Health Minister Veena George, who presided over the function, said the day marked a milestone in the history of Kerala’s healthcare sector.

She said the state government decided to establish the Kerala Institute of Organ Transplantation at Chevayur after recognising this crucial need.

The government would also soon announce a scheme to provide medicines to post-transplant patients at the lowest prices in the country, the Minister said.

The hospital will be established on 20 acres of land within the premises of the Chevayur Skin Diseases Hospital.

The hospital will be constructed in two phases, with the first phase costing Rs 299 crore.

An additional Rs 99 crore has been earmarked for equipment.

In the first phase, the hospital will have 350 beds, including ICU and HDU facilities, a dialysis centre, and 10 operation theatres.

There will be 14 speciality departments and divisions, and the complex will be built across eight floors.

The institute will also function as a training and research centre for doctors and paramedical staff in the field of transplantation, with plans for 31 academic courses.

The hospital is being constructed using KIIFB funds.

–IANS

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