PESHAWAR: The Institute of Kidney Diseases, Hayatabad Medical Complex Peshawar, has demanded Rs88 million special grant from the government to ensure free medication of people after undergoing renal transplants on Sehat Card Plus.

The IKD, which conducted first-ever kidney transplant on Sehat Card last month, asked the health department that it received a fund of Rs1.4 million per procedure from the government but the patients required diagnosis prior to surgery and subsequent medication after the operation.

Dr Mian Fazal Manan, who is focal person for renal transplant at IKD, told Dawn that 10 more patients were waiting for operations at the institute. He said that a request was sent to the government for additional grant to ensure smooth procedures to benefit the patients.

“We need to have budget for 25 transplants per year. We hope that government will sanction funds to ensure that people get cashless services. Currently, IKD bears the investigation cost of about Rs150,000 of each patient before transplant, which is not covered by SCP,” he said.

Focal person says budget needed for 25 transplants on Sehat Card per year

Dr Fazal Manan said that patients also required imunosupressants and other medication after transplants that were not covered by SCP. “Our demand for additional funds is meant to make sure that the people with damaged kidneys start getting free services from diagnosis and post-transplant period,” he added.

He said that each patient needed medicines worth Rs50,000 per month after transplant for the whole life. “Currently, 10 more cases are in-waiting but we want to provide all medication free of cost. We have also requested the health department to cover the pre and post-operative cost of investigation and medication of the patients because most of the people aren’t able to pay from their pockets,” he added.

Dr Fazal Manan said that allocation of the requested amount would enable IKD to carry on transplants without any break. “Besides, there can be complication after transplants, which require costly drugs in intensive care unit,” he added.

He said that transplants at IKD had been stopped two years ago after the retirement of Prof Asif Malik, who operated about 300 patients at the institute. Early this year, IKD entered into an agreement with Dr Saeed Akhtar of Pakistan Kidney and Liver Institute Lahore for resumption of the procedures.

“The doctors and nurses have already received training in Islamabad and infrastructure has been developed in IKD to start full-scale work and ensure that more cases are done here,” said Dr Fazal Manan.

He said that 30-year-old patient Abdur Rashid received kidney graft from his brother Muhammad Umar, 24, to undergo transplant on Sehat Card. “He is doing well. A resident of Bajaur, he is coming for follow-ups fortnightly,” he added.

The transplant programme was resumed by Prof Mazhar Khan, who assumed charge as director of IKD last year. Prior to his present assignment, he was head of surgical unit at HMC. He has vast experience in general and reconstructive urology.

So far, 106 renal transplants have been performed on SCP, costing Rs148.4 million. Most of the patients have been operated upon at Rehman Medical Institute by a transplant team led by Prof Taqi Toufeeq Khan.

In most cases, the donors happen to be close relatives such as brothers, sisters, husband, wives and mothers, whose records are verified by Medical Transplant Regulatory Authority (MTRA) and evaluation transplant committee from National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra).

“Sometime we do unrelated cases, like the one we did this week who had got no-objection certificate from MTRA on directives of the Peshawar High Court,” Prof Taqi told Dawn.

Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2022