Jehangir Hospital, a leading healthcare institution based out of Pune, conducted its 500th kidney transplant last month making it one of the most successful healthcare institutions in the city.

Jehangir Hospital recorded its first transplant way back in January 1998. The donor received the kidney from his brother. 22 years later, he is still healthy and recently retired from his service. At that time, Jehangir Hospital clocked single-digit transplants. Over the years, the number of transplants surged due to technological advancement, drugs, and awareness.

According to Dr Sriniwas Ambike, senior nephrologist responsible for this programme, ``Jehangir Hospital was associated with the first Swap transplant in the city in 2008. It is also credited with the first ABO swap incompatible transplant which was held in 2018. Good results have been the key to the success of the entire programme. We have had more than 90% survival of the kidney and the patient in the last few years,”

``It took 10 years to do the first 100 transplants, 1999-2009; and then it took 12 years to add 400 more. We are very proud to be members of the Jehangir Transplant Team,” said Dr Deepak Kirperkar, Senior Urologist and Transplant Surgeon, Jehangir Hospital.

Jehangir Hospital CEO, Mr Vinod Sawantwadkar said, “This is not a milestone that can be counted just in numbers. 500 kidney transplants mean that 500 patients with end-stage kidney disease have received a second lease of life at Jehangir Hospital. This would not have been possible without the donors and their families who took this noble step. We are proud to have achieved this milestone which is a testament to the calibre of advanced medical care available at Jehangir hospital with our team of outstanding transplant specialists providing the highest quality care and outcomes.’’

Among the pioneers in kidney transplant in Pune, a multidisciplinary team of transplant surgeons, physicians, nurses, transplant coordinators and social workers work in close collaboration with the Network for Organ Sharing and the National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) to help patients with the end-stage renal disease through kidney transplants, enabling them to lead normal lives. Jehangir Hospital is amongst the very few hospitals doing ABO-incompatible transplants.

 The organ transplant programme is backed by state-of-the-art facilities such as dedicated Intensive Care Units, sophisticated diagnostic and radiology facilities and advanced operating theatres with tools required for safe surgery.