Kidney transplant waiting list down to 2 months at PGI, Chandigarh

Naina Mishra

Chandigarh, June 25

In a significant development at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), the waiting time for renal transplants has been drastically reduced from one year to just two and a half months. This can be attributed to the collaborative efforts of three departments, renal transplant, urology, and nephrology, which have come together to perform kidney transplants to reduce the waiting period.

Previously, only the Renal Transplant Department conducted kidney transplants at the PGIMER. However, with the involvement of the urology and nephrology departments, the number of kidney transplants performed daily has seen a remarkable increase. Previously, the hospital could perform only one or two kidney transplants in a day, but now, around eight or nine transplants are carried out regularly.

Last year, the PGIMER successfully conducted over 200 renal transplants, and in just the first six months of this year, they have already performed more than 150 transplants. The institution aims at surpassing 350 transplants by the end of this year,” said Prof Vivek Lal, PGI Director.

The PGI has conducted more than 4,700 renal transplants, encompassing both live and deceased donations. Nearly 85% kidneys were donated by living donors, who were blood relatives of the patients, while the remaining were donated by the family members of deceased donors.

Despite these significant achievements, there is still a pressing need for renal transplants at the PGIMER. At present, approximately 3,000 renal failure patients are awaiting transplantation, underscoring the urgency to expand transplant services and reach out to more potential donors.

“The decrease in waiting time for renal transplants at the PGIMER is indeed a remarkable breakthrough, offering hope to countless individuals suffering from end-stage renal disease. The collaboration among the renal transplant, urology, and nephrology departments has streamlined the transplant process,” said Professor Lal.

The cost of a standard transplant is about Rs 70,000, including the cost of medicines and two weeks of hospital stay.