Irshad Ahmed, the first to undergo liver transplant surgery in the country, was released from the capital's Birdem hospitalyesterday.

Irshad's health has much improved and he will be able to join his work in a month, said doctors yesterday during a programme at the hospital's auditorium on his release.

Irshad's transplant was conducted at Birdem on June 3 this year.

He must get into a routine over the next few months for check-up at the hospital once a week, they added.

Irshad Ahmed, 42, was suffering from cryptogenic liver cirrhosis and had been taking treatments in home and abroad since 2007.

Finally, Prof Mohammad Ali, departmental head of Hepatoiliary and Pancreatic Surgery of Birdem Hospital agreed to conduct the liver transplant operation.

Prof Ali and his 24-member team conducted the 17-hour surgery on the patient and the donor — his uncle Khaled Abdullah, 29.

Khaled returned home two weeks after the operation.

Irshad, an employee of Agrani Commerce and Finance Bank, expressed his gratitude to the doctors involved in the life-saving surgery.

Irshad said he never imagined of living a healthy life again. With wife and three daughters he lives in the city's Shantinagar.

Prof Ali, the leader of the milestone operation, said Birdem fulfilled the dream of its founder. Dr Ibrahim.

Citing the limitation of the hospital's resources, he said they had to borrow instruments and manpower from four other institutions to conduct the surgery.

"Five other patients are waiting for liver transplant here,” he said. “But as our unit for conducting such operation is yet to be developed, we cannot go for full-

fledged liver transplant."

He also thanked Dutch Bangla Foundation for donating Tk 9.70 crore for the development of Liver Transplantation Unit.

Since a person can live with 700 grams of liver, the right lobe of the donor's liver was taken and transplanted into the recipient. The liver of the donor will grow to its former size within six to twelve weeks, said Prof Ali.

A successful liver transplant increases 85 percent chances of living for a year, 69 percent chances for five years and 61 percent for ten years, the experts said.

Meanwhile, congratulating the surgery team Health Minister Prof AFM Ruhal Haque sent them a letter of appreciation that also reads liver transplant patients would get treatment at half the cost charged abroad.

In developed countries, liver transplant from a living donor started in the 1980s. It is still a highly expensive operation and it takes about Tk 1 crore in India.