Victorians will help cover the cost of anti-rejection drugs for Australia's first potential double hand transplant recipient.
Former plumber Peter Walsh, of Cobden, had his hands and feet amputated after contracting pneumococcal disease.
Microsurgery research centre the O'Brien Institute is preparing for the potential transplant procedure alongside St Vincent's Hospital's plastic and hand surgery unit. The anti-rejection drugs will cost up to $30,000 a year.
A spokesman for Victorian Health Minister Daniel Andrews said the Government would cover the cost of the drugs.
"If the operation proceeds, between St Vincent's and the State Government, we will look after his care needs," he said.
Mr Walsh is at the beginning of a long process before the transplant can go ahead. A donor needs to be found and the procedure has yet to gain approval from the hospital's ethics committee.
Life-saving transplants automatically receive government funding but hospitals must apply for funding for non-life-saving surgery.
About 50 dual hand transplants have been performed over the past decade in Europe and the United States, with excellent results.
A spokesman for the O'Brien Institute said Mr Walsh was undergoing medical checks and the transplant team was being assembled. AAP
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