Launch of Pantai-Gleneagles Global Liver Programme To Benefit Malaysians Seeking Treatment and Transplant in India

14-Jan-2018

Asia’s leading healthcare provider Parkway Pantai brings together liver experts from its Malaysia and India hospitals to develop a unique liver programme for Malaysians 

Kuala Lumpur, 14 January 2018 – In a first-of-its-kind cross-border collaboration between Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai, Malaysians requiring liver treatment and transplant can now turn to one of South Asia’s largest and most established liver transplant centres in India.

Leveraging the medical expertise of the two Parkway Pantai hospitals, the new Pantai-Gleneagles Global Liver Programme provides comprehensive management of liver diseases including liver transplant.

“We are excited that Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur is the first private hospital in Malaysia to provide liver treatment and transplant services in partnership with one of our sister hospitals in India. Gleneagles Global Health City has one of the world’s most successful transplant teams, performing more than 350 transplants a year and known for their track record in clinical quality and outcomes. The survival rate for their adult and paediatric transplants is 86.6% and 91% respectively. We are able to extend their expertise to Malaysia because we are an integrated healthcare network with a global presence,” said Joe Sim, Chief Executive Officer, Malaysia Operations Division, Parkway Pantai.

Ramesh Krishnan, Chief Executive Officer, India Operations Division, Parkway Pantai said, “As one of the leading liver transplant programmes in Asia, Gleneagles Global is honoured to have this opportunity to serve the healthcare needs of Malaysia. Our well- established living donor transplant programme will come in as a timely intervention towards bringing down the burden of liver disease in Malaysia.”

Spearheading the liver programme at Gleneagles Global Health City is Professor Mohamed Rela, a world-renowned surgeon who earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for successfully executing a liver transplant on a five-day-old child in 2000. Professor Rela has performed more than 3,000 liver transplants over a span of 25 years, of which 750 were paediatric transplants. He is the current chair of the Paediatric Committee in the International Liver Transplant Society headquartered in USA.

Professor Rela, Director of the Liver Disease and Transplant Programme at Gleneagles Global Hospitals, said, “The Gleneagles Global liver transplant programme is the largest in India and has many firsts to its credit, both in India and South Asia. Through our collaboration with Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, we are able to help more patients suffering from severe liver ailments by providing them with the best treatment option at an affordable cost. We are optimistic that our programme will create a massive wave of awareness amongst patients and their care-givers and help them seek timely consultation from our panel of expert doctors.”

Dato Dr Mahendra Raj, Gastroenterology and Hepatology Consultant at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, added, “In Malaysia, patients who are candidates for liver transplantation face multiple challenges, one of which is the low donor rate. This partnership with Gleneagles Global Health City in India gives us a unique opportunity to link up with a world class transplant centre to provide an additional option for Malaysian patients that includes an integrated pre- and post-transplant care programme.”

Patients will first be screened and evaluated by the team of liver specialists at Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur. If a transplant is required, patient test results and medical records will be sent to Gleneagles Global Health City, Chennai, for further evaluation and formulation of a treatment plan.

Both hospitals will coordinate the transfer of patient to Gleneagles Global Health City for the liver transplant. Post-surgery, the patient will receive comprehensive monitoring and care back in Malaysia with the help of specialists from Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur and Gleneagles Global Health City.