11 year old boy from Pakistan successfully undergoes liver transplant in India

The Liver Transplant team at Apollo Hospitals gives a new lease of life to the child diagnosed with the Crigler Najjar syndrome which occurs 1 in a million births

Dubai, UAE, January 7th, 2016: A 11 year old boy from Pakistan diagnosed with Crigler Najjar syndrome has received a new lease of life, thanks to the efforts of a team of doctors from Apollo Hospitals, Asia’s pioneering healthcare provider.

Abdul Bashit aged 11 years, a resident of Pakistan and the eldest of 3 siblings, developed severe jaundice soon after birth. He was diagnosed to have Crigler Najjar Syndrome. This condition which is seen in 1 in a million babies causes a toxic form of bilirubin pigment to rise in the blood. To prevent complications like brain damage and hearing loss from this condition, Abdul underwent continuous phototherapy in the hospital during the first 2 months of his life. Thereafter, he was discharged to go home and continue the phototherapy treatment.

As he grew older, his skin thickened and the light penetration decreased making it less effective. His jaundice would increase and he would miss school so that he could be under the lights as long as possible. All night, he would remain under the phototherapy unit, bearing the intense light and the heat for survival. The persistent yellow colour of his eyes and skin began to bother him. Since the only permanent treatment was a liver transplant, he was referred to Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals, Delhi.

According to Dr. Subash Gupta, Chief Liver Transplant Surgeon: 'Abdul's maternal uncle volunteered to be the donor and the family travelled to India for a liver transplant. He underwent a successful liver transplant and was discharged last month. He will soon re-join school and lead a normal life. Apollo's experience and expertise in this field has ensured that our five and ten year survival rates are comparable to best centers in the world. We will continue to offer this treatment to a largest cross section of the population in order to save lives'.

According to, Dr. Anupam Sibal, Group Medical Director, Apollo Hospitals Group and Senior Consultant, Paediatric Gastroenterologist and Hepatologist, Indraprastha Apollo Hospitals said, 'With the new liver Abdul has received the enzyme he was not born with and his eyes are pearly white and he has finally bid adieu to his constant companion, the phototherapy unit. We have now performed more than 2300 liver transplants in patients not only from all parts of our country but also from more than 40 countries. We are privileged to have earned the trust of so many patients over the last 17 years, ever since we performed the first successful liver transplant in India in 1998. The family expressed a desire to meet Hollywood actor Salman Khan and were delighted that Abdul could meet his hero Salman in Mumbai.'

In the words of his mother, Razia Begum, 'This story is the real experience of my child's journey from birth to the age of 11 years. Our child was often called ‘SUNFLOWER OR GOLDEN BOY' because of his Crigglar Najar Syndrome that made him deep yellow. This was the journey which we didn't opt for, didn't wish for and didn't aim for. Now we are happy that we have ended it on a happy note. A lot of emotions, feelings, sentiments, wishes have come our way. This transplant is a humanitarian effort which has unified sentiments across India and Pakistan.'

They had words of praise for Salman, the Apollo team and all the Indians who they came in touch with the family and Abdul.

Organ transplants have been on the rise in the GCC but many of the patients opt for medical destinations like India because of less waiting times, state of the art infrastructure, highly skilled medical staff and affordable cost of treatment. These factors are the key decision driving points which guide international patients to choose India as the point of medical destination for treatment, especially from the GCC.

Apollo Hospitals have successfully treated over 60,000 foreign patients from across the world, including the UAE, Oman and Qatar, during the last five years and the numbers are looking up every year.