Crowdfunding helps save 8-year-old liver patient’s life

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 19

An 8-year-old liver patient’s life was saved with the help of crowdfunding. The girl from Gurdaspur was suffering from chronic liver disease since the age of four and needed an immediate liver transplant.

At a press conference here on Tuesday the child’s doctor Dr Jagtesh Singh Sidhu said the actual cost of treatment was Rs. 20 lakh, but she was finally operated at Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru, at a cost of Rs. 5 lakh. Dr Sonal Asthana from Aster CMI Hospital said: “Liver transplantation is well-established as a viable treatment for children with end-stage liver disease (ESLD). Unlike other transplants, the only challenging factor in liver transplant is the huge cost involved in the surgery.” She said the Affordable Liver Transplant Initiative, supported by several charities and crowd-funding, has provided lifesaving transplants to more than 120 children and young adults at a cost of less than Rs. 5 lakh to families. —

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