Manila: Three hospitals with more than 40 successful liver transplant cases are now geared to make the Philippines a global liver transplant centre of Southeast Asia, second to Singapore, sources said.

The National Kidney Transplant Institute, a public hospital established by former first lady Imelda Marcos in suburban Quezon City in 1981 has performed 26 liver transplants since 1988. “In 2012, we established our liver centre where five liver transplants are performed a year,” Dr Jade Jamian, chair of NKTI liver centre, told Gulf News.

“We have the capacity to do complex transplant surgeries, which require 15-member medical teams for an average of 12 hours,” said Jamian, adding that Renato Estrada, a taxi driver, had simultaneous liver and kidney transplants with government assistance at NKTI, when he was 54 in 2014.

“Filipinos no longer have to go to Taiwan, Singapore, and the United States for liver transplantation,” said Jose Ledesma, chief executive officer of St. Luke’s Medical Centre-Global City, a private hospital in suburban Taguig which has 12 successful liver transplant cases since 2011.

“A Filipino-Chinese from Pampanga (central Luzon) will be our 13th patient in mid-February,” Dr. Juliet Gopez-Cervantes, head of St. Luke’s Centre for Liver Disease said, adding, “Filipino doctors can now compete internationally in liver transplant operation — a delicate and tedious process.”

The private Medical City (TMC) in suburban Pasig boasts of three successful liver transplants since 2010. Catherine Erica Buenaventura was three when she was underwent a paediatric liver transplant at TMC in 2010.

In 2014, the health department, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO), and the NKTI signed a memorandum of agreement — allowing PCSO to provide P1.5 million (Dh125,000) for every poor beneficiary who needs a liver transplant. This could lower NKTI’s cost of liver transplant, from P1.5 to P2.5 million (Dh125,000 to Dh205,333). In private institutions, the cost is P4 million (Dh333,333) plus.

Medical City’s surgeon Vanessa de Villa is now cited for her role in the history of liver transplant in the Philippines. Surgeon Allan Consejero, St. Luke’s head of liver transplant surgery department is treasured for his training in Taiwan, Asia’s liver transplant centre.

“We are proud of the 41 successful liver transplant cases in the Philippines,” said NKTI Executive Director Dr Jose Dante Dator. In comparison, Taiwan has 1,006 liver transplant operations since 1984; Singapore, a total of 276 cases since 1990.

About 16,000 Filipinos die of liver cirrhosis, an inflammation and scarring of the liver due to Hepatitis B infection, and heavy alcohol and fatty-food consumption.