19 March 2025

This morning, Minister for Health Mary-Anne Thomas joined Austin Health and The Royal Children’s Hospital (RCH) to celebrate a major milestone – completing more than 250 paediatric liver transplants!

The first paediatric liver transplant was performed in 1988, and it was the third organ transplant performed in Victoria.

"This is a significant milestone. Since the first paediatric liver transplant in 1988, the successful collaboration between Austin Hospital and the RCH has saved the lives of many Victorian children. The extraordinary donor gift has allowed these children to grow to adulthood and some have started families of their own,” notes Professor Bob Jones, Director Liver Transplant Unit.

Liver transplant operations for children were run out of Austin Health until 1995, before moving to the RCH. Today, the 30-year partnership continues to deliver world-class liver transplantation services for children with end-stage liver and other diseases and provides care to children in Victoria, Tasmania and South Australia.

“While this milestone highlights paediatric liver transplantation, our collaboration extends beyond this to include kidney and intestinal transplantation. The expertise and dedication across both institutions have made it possible to provide world-class care to children in need of these complex procedures,” shares Associate Professor John Whitlam, Director of Transplantation (ACTER)

“It is both a great responsibility and a great honour to be part of this collaboration. The impact of transplantation on these children and their families is profound, and we are privileged to contribute to a programme that changes lives.”

While the transplants are performed at the RCH by highly specialised surgeons from Austin Health, the RCH provides other aspects of care for these patients, many of whom are seen from birth. This includes care in the lead-up to surgery as well as post operation, which can continue for years after treatment.

Both health services also provide highly skilled transplant coordinators and specialised team members including several medical and allied health professionals to ensure children are receiving the highest quality of care.

During the three decades of collaboration, both Austin Health and the RCH have continued to innovate and improve the service, including monitoring of children before surgery and the use of microsurgery, which allows clinicians to perform transplants on much smaller babies.

Austin Health and the RCH teams gathered today along with Minister Mary-Anne to celebrate this incredible milestone with cake! Check out the pictures from the event below.

We look forward to continuing this collaboration with the RCH and delivering the best possible care to our patients and our community!

Professor Wintia Hardikar and Professor Bob Jones

Minister Mary-Anne Thomas with baby Harlen