Special Interview of Prof M Ali
Long awaited dream comes true!
Professor Mohammad Ali
Professor Mohammad Ali is a tireless proponent of an innovative and highly sophisticated approach to treating end stage liver diseases through transplantation of liver in Bangladesh. He is the only surgeon who engineered liver transplantation for long 11 years and has successfully performed the first ever living donor liver transplant on June 3, 2010. This pioneer surgeon started his professional career with a special focus on treating diseases related to liver. After completing FCPS and FRCS (in Edinburgh), he moved to University of Queensland, Australia in a fellowship programme on heapto-biliary surgery. He worked there with renowned surgeon Professor Russell Strong who was the first surgeon to perform living donor liver transplant in Australia and came back in 1999 with a noble vision to make liver transplant available in Bangladesh. He joined BIRDEM hospital and first establish a new department called heaptobiliary surgery in Bangladesh. Since then, he gradually trained up surgical team and established set up to perform the highly sophisticated liver transplant surgery locally. He is also the member of the World Hepatitis Alliance Public Health Panel of expert and Secretary General of a philanthropic organisation named Liver Foundation of Bangladesh. After long tireless effort, his dream has become a reality. His efforts, his future goals are explored in the interview below for the interest of the readers: Star Health: You have successfully performed first ever liver transplantation in Bangladesh. What motivated you to take this on? Prof Ali: During treating various liver diseases, I have seen many patients in Bangladesh dying of end stage liver diseases like liver cirrhosis, liver cancer etc. The only intervention that could save their lives was liver transplantation which was not available in Bangladesh. It is high-tech intervention performed in some foreign countries that costs too much for most of our people. I thought if we could learn the art and skill of the surgery, we could save many of these ill fated patients and millions of our money. As I observed the patients dying of end stage liver diseases and as a surgeon, I had nothing to do to save the precious lives — I decided firmly that with all my effort I will accomplish my job I am dreaming of. Star Health: For long 11 years, you have been trying this. What are the barriers you have faced to do this? Prof Ali: Liver transplant is a one of the most sophisticated transplant surgeries and needs multidisciplinary supports. When I came back to Bangladesh, I realised the extreme shortage of manpower skilled at this procedure. I tried to help doctors to gain expertise from both home and abroad and started to make a team comprising of surgeons, anaesthetists and skilled nurses. Moreover, the procedure is a complex one that needs high-tech equipment, monitoring device, laboratory facilities and transplant ICU support. Currently there is no centre in Bangladesh which has all these facilities under one roof. So we had to manage this under one centre for the first case. BIRDEM hospital has provided most logistic and technical support. Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Ibrahim Cardiac Hospital, Popular Specialised Hospital have also supported us with instrument and laboratory. Star Health: What is the outcome of living donor liver transplant? Prof Ali: About 85 percent of patients who receive liver from a living donor survive at least one year, 69 percent survive 5 years and 61 percent survive 10 years. The success rate is better is children than that of adults. Star Health: What is your future goal? Prof Ali: My goal, my vision is to make liver transplant (both living donor and deceased donor) readily available in Bangladesh and to establish a full fledged liver transplant centre. We have plan to start liver transplantation at BIRDEM hospital at regular basis as soon as possible and revive millions of lives who are dying due to irreversible liver damage. Although the cost is the lowest in comparison to any foreign country, we need to lessen the estimated average cost Tk. 35 lakh in order to make it readily available. If our government supports us, we can fulfill our dream without any difficulty. Star Health: Thank you. Prof Ali: My heartfelt thanks to all the valued readers of The Daily Star. I would also like to thank all the members of the surgical team, patient, donor whose cordial cooperation made this happen. E-mail: rajib.hossain@thedailystar.net
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