 |
|
 |
First phase of ILBS is operational with 155 hospital beds, nearly forty percent of which cater as Intensive Care (ICU) beds. There are well-equipped endoscopy suites, Operation Theatres, GI Bleed ICU, Transplant ICU, Liver Coma unit, Pediatric Hepatology unit and Hepatic Hemodynamic Laboratory. Transplant Hepatology unit has both dedicated adult and pediatric hepatologists who join hands with surgeons in the pre- and post-transplant care of the patients. The team has already performed 36 living donor liver transplants till date with success rates comparable to international statistics. The medical and surgical teams receive round the clock support from Laboratory Services and the Radiology department, along with significant contribution from ancillary specialties including Anesthesia, Nephrology, Critical Care Medicine, Interventional Radiology, Pulmonology, Cardiology, Oncology and Genetics for improvement of patient care. The second phase of ILBS, likely to be operational by 2013, will add a dedicated multi-storey research complex, auditorium, oncology unit, additional beds and residential accommodation for doctors and nurses.
ILBS has already been conferred with the Deemed-to-be-University status with unique specialized courses like DM Hepatology, MCh Hepatopancreatobiliary Surgery, Post-Doctoral Courses in Interventional Radiology and Liver Transplant Anaesthesia, and PhD in Biomedical Sciences. “Team ILBS” comprises of dedicated doctors, nursing staff, technicians, other health care workers and administrative staff who work in unison and mutual support with a common vision to make ILBS a dedicated international centre of excellence for the diagnosis and management of liver and biliary diseases and for advanced research and training in this field.
As of January 2012, ILBS can proudly declare itself the first super-specialty government hospital in India to have been accredited by the National Accreditation Board for Hospitals and Healthcare Providers (NABH) for its dedication to patient safety and quality of care. It is also only the second government hospital in Delhi and the seventh in the country to be so accredited.
Among the liver disease patients who come to ILBS, alcoholic liver disease (ALD) comprises a big chunk – 70% of in-patients with liver disease and ~15% of liver cancers, which is congruent to the data worldwide, which says that ALD accounts for 40% of deaths from cirrhosis and 30% of cases of liver cancer. Alcohol constitutes a major health and social problem for the poor as well as affluent, and imposes major economic burden to families belonging to lower socioeconomic strata. ALD cases present with high bilirubin, fluid in abdomen, swelling over body, chest infections, liver coma, blood in vomitus and renal shutdown, imposing significant threat to life. As there is no specific treatment for ALD as is there for viral hepatitis, these patients are managed with supportive care, usually in ICU setting; liver transplantation is usually not advisable at acute stage because of risk of reverting back to alcoholism after transplantation. Those who survive acute crises continue to have complications of end-stage liver disease and finally require liver transplantation.
The institute regularly organizes educational activities for the benefit of students, staff and the community, including observing the 4th of December every year as “Hepatitis Day.” Needless to say, ILBS has accomplished many milestones already and is forging ahead as the leading center of excellence in the field of liver and biliary sciences not only in the country, but all of Asia.
