Relief for patients as PGI urology department set to start preforming kidney transplants

PGI aims to increase number of available medical professionals to perform the procedure in bid to meet rising need for transplants

In a new first, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research’s (PGIMER) urology department will start performing renal transplant procedures, easing the pressure on the renal transplant department of the institute and resulting in significant reduction in waiting times for those seeking kidney transplants.

PGI urology department is set to start preforming kidney transplants. (HT File)

Notably, PGI receives a significant inflow of patients with renal failure. While a section has a good survival rate on dialysis, many also require organ transplant. The renal transplant department is currently transplanting kidneys from either cadaver donations or live donations from their blood relatives.

In most renal transplant cases, recipients prefer kidneys from blood relatives. However, due to the growing number of renal failure cases and availability of live donations, the number of surgeries has gone up and the waiting period at the renal transplant department has increased to over eight to ten months.

The new development, then, is expected to provide some much-needed relief to patients as the number of transplant procedures carried out will likely increase, allowing more patients to receive the treatment they need.

Speaking about the same, PGIMER director Vivek Lal said, “After the Urology department was given a go-ahead by the concerned authorities and medical bodies to conduct the transplant, a team of doctors performed a successful kidney transplant last week.”

“With kidney disease becoming increasingly common, the demand for renal transplant procedures has risen, putting a significant strain on the hospital’s resources. By bringing in the Urology department, PGIMER hopes to increase the number of available medical professionals who can perform the procedure, thereby reducing the burden on the renal transplant department,” he added.

At present, the renal transplant department receives patients from not only surrounding states but also from far off places like north-eastern states, Orissa, Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Nepal. The total cost of a standard transplant procedure is around ₹70,000 including the cost of medicines and two weeks of hospital stay for the donor and recipient. The department performs around 250 kidney transplants per year.

Overall, around 4,500 kidney transplants have been performed at PGIMER. Of these, around 88% organs were donated by live donors (blood relatives of the patient), while the remaining were donated by family members of a deceased person. At any given time, over 2500 patients suffering from renal failure are waiting for a transplant.