Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) has conducted its first-ever liver transplant surgery, demonstrating the public hospital's progress in modern healthcare service.
The surgery was successfully conducted on Monday on a 20-year-old youth who had been diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in 2017, Professor Dr Zulfiqar Rahman Khan, head of BSMMU's Hepatobiliary, Pancreatic and Liver Transplant Surgery Department, told a press briefing on Tuesday, reports UNB.
He said it was a free surgery as the mother of the youth donated part of her liver to her son.
Dr Zulfiqar said: "A team of 50 doctors took part in the 18-hour long operation that began around 6am on Monday.
"It is a historic achievement for us, and with this successful operation, BSMMU has started liver transplantation service."
Health and Family Welfare Minister Zahid Maleque, who was also present at the briefing, termed the surgery “a milestone in the public healthcare sector of Bangladesh.”
"I visited the patient and his mother. They both are doing well and I urge you all to pray for their speedy recovery," Zahid said.
The minister hoped that from now on, patients will not show much interest in going abroad for liver transplants as Bangladesh is capable of handling such cases efficiently.
