The government is planning to address a serious lacunae in the State’s public health sector by proposing an exclusive 500-bed hospital-cum-research-and-training centre for organ donation in Kozhikode.
Official sources close to the project told The Hindu that it would have an air ambulance and a helipad for transportation of organs. “The number of kidney and liver patients is high in Kerala because more people are found to be diagnosed with high diabetes and hypertension. It is a serious public health issue as there are very few hospitals that can carry the disease burden. A large number of these patients need organ transplantation as well,” said one official.
Though there had been a rise in the number of patients, there was no proportionate increase in the number of hospitals and specialty centres, especially in the public sector, which could address their needs.
