Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, one of India’s leading medical institutions, has achieved a significant milestone in liver transplantation. More than half of the liver transplants in the country are performed by surgeons trained at this prestigious hospital. This remarkable achievement was celebrated in a recent event where Dr. D.S. Rana, Chairman of Sir Ganga Ram Trust Society, highlighted the expertise and contributions of the hospital’s Gyan Burman Liver Unit.
“We are very proud to have the Gyan Burman Liver Unit as an integral part of the hospital. It has done sterling work in training young surgeons, publishing books and papers on liver diseases and how to do research and has helped establish liver transplantation in India. In fact, it is estimated that more than 50% of the liver transplants in this country are performed by surgeons who have worked in Sir Ganga Ram Hospital,” said Dr. Rana.
The Gyan Burman Liver Unit was established in 2002 in memory of Mr. Gyan Burman, a key figure in the development of the Dabur industrial empire. The unit’s mission includes educating young doctors from India and abroad in hepatobiliary surgery, promoting research on prevalent liver diseases, advocating for liver transplantation, supporting underprivileged patients, and organizing the prestigious Gyan Burman Oration.
The unit is funded by Mr. Pradip Burman, an environmentalist and advocate for sustainability, along with Gyan’s family. This funding has supported the publication of over 100 articles, various annual audit books, a residents’ manual, a ‘Liver Transplant Handbook for Patients,’ and an open-access book titled ‘How to Practice Academic Medicine and Publish from Developing Countries,’ which has been downloaded 1.6 million times. Additionally, the fund has helped surgical trainees attend national and international conferences, including one at Johns Hopkins Hospital in the USA.
The Gyan Burman Liver Fund played a crucial role in initiating India’s liver transplant program. In 2003, it convened a national meeting with 50 surgeons to discuss the challenges and strategies for improving liver transplant outcomes. The proceedings of this meeting were published in the book ‘Liver Transplantation and Cadaveric Organ Donation.’
Today, India boasts 184 liver transplant centers, performing 3,500 transplants in 2022 alone. This achievement places India third in the world for the number of liver transplants and first for Living Donor Liver Transplants. Since its inception, the Gyan Burman Unit has trained 145 fellows from 15 countries, including Kenya, Mexico, Fiji, Turkmenistan, Sudan, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Ethiopia, Mauritius, Bangladesh, Nepal, Saudi Arabia, the USA, Greece, and Pakistan, as well as India.
Dr. Ajay Swaroop, Chairman of the Board of Management at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, emphasized the hospital’s commitment to medical education and advanced technology. “Sir Ganga Ram Hospital is constantly involved in improving learning at various levels and promoting cutting-edge medical technology for looking after all strata of society. The Gyan Burman foundation is associated with us to promote scientific work on liver diseases and liver transplantation,” he said.
The annual Gyan Burman Oration is a prestigious event that invites distinguished speakers from around the world. This year’s oration will be delivered by Nobel Laureate Prof. Abhijit Banerjee on May 29th, 2024, at 7:00 pm at the India International Centre in New Delhi. Prof. Banerjee will speak on “Markets for Healthcare,” exploring the economic systems and processes in the healthcare sector. The oration promises to be a significant event, with past speakers including renowned figures like Prof. Henri Bismuth, Dr. Yuman Fong, Dr. Abhinav Humar, Prof. S. T. Fan, Sir Roy Calne, Prof. Pierre A. Clavien, Prof. Dirk J. Gouma, and Dr. Patrick Kamath.
In summary, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital’s Gyan Burman Liver Unit stands as a beacon of excellence in liver transplantation and medical education, setting new benchmarks in the healthcare sector in India and beyond.
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