Changing Livers, Saving Lives

The Greek Mythology states that Prometheus stole fire from the Fire God Zeus to give it to mankind. He was punished for this and was chained and had an eagle sent to peck on his body and eat the liver. But it was found that the liver grew again and though the eagle came back every day it found the liver had regenerated. Dr. Ramdip Ray began his lecture with this mythological story at IBN Sina Hospital, Khartoum addressing medical doctors with professional interest in the field of Liver Transplant Surgery. Dr. Ray is a Senior Consultant of Liver Transplant & Hepato Pancreato Biliary Surgery at Artemis Hospitals, New Delhi, India.

Dr.Ray very lucidly presented the requirements for a liver transplant surgery. A Donor is the most important person in this surgery. A donor has to be from the family and only a part of his liver is transplanted to the patient. We met the patient Khalid Yousef, 28 who needed a liver transplant because of Cirrhosis due to Hepatitis B infection. In liver transplant surgery the whole liver from the patient is removed. Khalid received a part of his elder brother’s liver. His elder brother Ali Yousef is 42 and doing well as you can see in the picture. Both were operated upon by Dr.Ray in India. The cost of the surgery was US$ 38000 which is much more affordable as compared to any other country. In fact, in Artemis hospital the fees for a Sudanese national is same as the local fee structure and not considered a foreigner. Dr.Abdelmounem Eltayeib Abdo- Head of Gastrointestinal & Liver Disease-IBN Sina Hospital appreciated Dr.Ray’s visit, rounds with the patients and his talk on Liver Transplant Surgery. Dr.Abdelmounem is gearing up for establishing liver transplant surgery in Sudan. Dr.Abdelmounem noted the importance of Radiologists in Liver Transplant surgery, the way they make the images of the blood vessels in the liver transparent for the surgeons. Dr.Ray in a lighter vein had explained that the surgeon only does the plumbers work of rejoining the pipes which are veins and arteries in a liver transplant surgery.

Dr. Ray was invited by Abdelmouniem Alsuni Ahmed, Secretary General of Council for International People’s Friendship. Dr.Ray’s tour was organized by Sudanese Indian Friendship Association a body of alumni from Universities in India. Dr. Ray also met Dr.Isameldin Mohammed Abdalla-Undersecretary of the Federal Ministry of Health and Dr. Yassin Abbas Widaa, General Director, National Medical Commission. Dr. Ramdip Ray’s visit has further strengthened the bilateral relations between India and Sudan.