Didn’t have a great experience. Lots of things could have been handled better. My sister and I both got tested for being liver donors for my brother in law and didn’t qualify as both of us had fatty livers. We were fighting against time as my brother in law was seriously ill. Yet they made my sister go through more tests inspite of the fact that she didn’t qualify in the first one itself, just to make a quick buck in the labs. They have to meet targets but an already strained and stressed family are finished by the time the get out of RM’s clutches.
My sister was sent to the dietician for weight reduction to help her qualify to be a donor. Really? There wasn’t time for that! Hospital made money even there. I was there to get my scans done and my sister wasn’t even supposed to be there but she came for me. They sent her for some tests even though she wasn’t scheduled for any! The sick patient was made to go hungry for hours because they were so disorganised, and called back for more tests just as they were reaching thier home two hours away after being at hospital all day. It frustrated an already suffering person.
My other sister flew in from abroad to give a part of her liver. They failed to inform her that her gall bladder would be removed during the surgery. Her husband was shown the organ after the part of the liver was taken and was asked to sign for it. When he mentioned that he wasn’t told it was going to be Removed, they said they forgot! They made everything sound like a piece of cake.
After the transplant, something went wrong and they had to perform another surgery on my brother in law. Things went quickly downhill after that. The day after he was bought from the ICU to the room, he got a brain haemorrhage. He complained about a headache to all docs who visited him, but none of them thought to check it out. He died a week later. We were told things like ‘he’ll get 25 more years after this transplant’ etc.
The worst person there was the RM on the second floor who after getting what she wanted and making her commission, wouldn’t even acknowledge us after the transplant was done. They were pushing us to find more donors to test to make money in the labs as if there were people all over wanting to part with pieces of their livers. And of course, they had to be related to the recipient too!
Overall the Global experience was nasty. Outside the Liver ICU, where I was waiting to speak to the doctor was a woman who’s husband also had liver disease. That family was being pushed to get a transplant done though they didn’t want it. She was telling me about the hard time the hospital was giving her because of that. Can’t the doctors figure out after putting the patient through so many tests, necessary and otherwise if the patient is strong enough for the transplant?
In my brother in law’s case, his immunity was so low that they couldn’t even give enough immunosuppressants to him that were required after the surgery. Surely they would have known that from testing him. We went for a follow up for the donor just before she was to fly back.
There was an obese young boy who was being tested for being a donor! Same routine, sending to dietitian etc. Please.. don’t do that. The only decent person on the second floor was Surekha. The only one on that floor with a heart. God bless you girl!
