TEHRAN — Iran is as successful and advanced as Europe and the U.S. in liver transplant, said the chancellor of the Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Ali Ja’farian, on Wednesday.

On the sidelines of the third Tehran hepatopancreaticobiliary & liver transplant congress Ja’farian explained that the first liver transplant in Iran was performed in 1993, the IRNA news agency reported on Wednesday.

“Currently, the Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran and the Namazi Hospital in Shiraz are among the five best centers performing liver transplant operation in the region,” he noted.

He also added that for the recipients on the transplant waiting list at the Imam Khomeini Hospital, the procedure will take less than three months.

Autoimmune diseases, hepatitis B and C, and buildup of fat are the major reasons leading to chronic liver disease, Ja’farian said.

“Thanks to vaccination, hepatitis B is declining, but hepatitis C is increasing as those who do drugs may share syringe,” he lamented, adding that “fatty liver disease (steatosis) which is caused by overweight, obesity, and consuming fatty foods and fast foods is increasing in the country, too.”

Every year 1,000 to 1,500 patients need liver transplant in the country, and all the expenses are covered by the Health Ministry and no insurance company has ever paid for the procedure, Ja’farian highlighted.

All the liver transplant medications are covered by insurance companies, and except for some occasional shortage, the drugs are always available in the country, he said.

The third Tehran hepatopancreaticobiliary & liver transplant congress was held at the Imam Khomeini Hospital Complex on 4 - 6 November, 2015.

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