Transplant demand exceeds available facilities

LAHORE: Despite public spending on healthcare and the expansion of the Punjab chief minister’s free transplant scheme, many patients in Lahore suffering from critical organ failure are facing lengthy waits because the city has limited transplant capacity.

Only a small number of public and private hospitals in the provincial capital are equipped to carry out liver, kidney, bone marrow, corneal and cochlear transplants. The restricted number of centres has increased pressure on existing facilities, while patients and their families say the demand for such procedures has grown beyond the available infrastructure.

Official figures show that 1,944 transplant procedures have so far been completed under the CM transplant programme. These include 311 liver transplants and 960 kidney transplants provided free of cost to eligible patients. The programme has also covered 601 cochlear implant procedures, 40 bone marrow transplants and 40 corneal transplants.

Even so, healthcare experts and patients’ relatives say the rising need for these services has created long waiting periods. Many patients, spend months waiting for appointments, assessments and formal approval before surgery can take place.

Hospitals handling most cases

A health department official said most liver and kidney transplant surgeries in Lahore are currently being performed at the Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute. Bone marrow transplant cases are largely being managed at the Children’s Hospital Lahore.

The same official said kidney transplant services are also available at Jinnah Hospital and Lahore General Hospital, while a number of private hospitals are participating in the programme as well.

Funding and approval process

According to official documents, around Rs2.5 billion has been earmarked for the transplant initiative. However, the total cost of procedures carried out under the programme has already crossed Rs4.87 billion, underlining the high expense involved in advanced organ replacement treatment.

Officials say deserving patients are continuing to receive free treatment at both government-run and private healthcare institutions. The Punjab Health Initiative Management Company, which oversees the scheme, says the programme is intended to remove cost barriers for low-income families who would otherwise be unable to pay for these procedures.

An official said patients are required to first register and obtain clearance from the Punjab Human Organ Transplantation Authority. After approval is granted, transplant-related expenses are paid directly to hospitals by the State Life Insurance Corporation under the government-backed health financing mechanism.