MULTAN: University of Verona, Italy and Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi Institute of Cardiology (CPEIC) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Friday, agreeing to conduct heart transplant surgeries together at the institute.

The MoU was signed by Professor Dr Giuseppe Faggian of University of Verona School of Medicine, who is also the representative of International Society for Heart Transplantation, and CPEIC Executive Director Dr Prof Rana Altaf Ahmad.

Dr Faggian also visited the Department of Cardiac Surgery of the institute besides attending a meeting with the hospital administration for feasibility of the transplant programme, development and legislative issues.

MoU signed with Italian varsity

Both parties agreed that Prof Dr Haider Zaman, Prof Ahmad, Dr Zubair Ansari and Dr Yasir of CPEIC would visit Italy and Spain in November and December for training.

Talking to Dawn, Dr Ahmad said the MoU was signed to start heart transplant at the institute. He added so far neither private nor public health institutions in Pakistan were conducting the surgery.

“Most of these patients suffered from dilated cardiomyopathy, a disease of heart muscles in which the heart’s ability to pump blood reduced. The only treatment is an artificial mechanical heart (Ventricle Assist Device) or transplant from a donor,” he added.

Dr Ahmad said a heart transplant roughly cost Rs5 million, however it would reduce to Rs1 million if the surgery was done in Pakistan. He said as many as 40 patients were registered with the CPEIC with last-stage heart diseases who could not be treated through a by-pass cardiac surgery, angioplasty and medicines and the only option was a transplant. He also said the donation of a heart could only be accepted from a patient who had been declared brain dead or is on ventilator.

“We can find donors and save lives of people who have no hope due to unavailability of the transplant facility in the country,” he added.

The CPEIC is now waiting for registration with the Human Organ Transplantation Authority for which it had applied a year back.

Published in Dawn, October 25th, 2014