EPIC Multispecialty Hospital, a 280-bed hospital in Ahmedabad, has entered into a clinical partnership with Chennai-based MGM Healthcare to strengthen its heart-transplant programme and expand advanced heart-failure treatment.

Under the partnership, MGM Healthcare’s heart-transplant specialists will be available at EPIC for transplant surgeries, while the two institutions will collaborate on Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) implantation for eligible patients.

EPIC is an approved heart-transplant centre and has already performed heart-transplant surgeries. The partnership will bring MGM Healthcare’s expertise in heart transplantation and advanced heart-failure management to complement EPIC’s existing clinical capabilities.

The collaboration comes amid a rise in heart-transplant activity in Gujarat. According to data from the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), Gujarat recorded 13 heart transplants in 2021, 20 in 2022, 29 in 2023, 33 in 2024 and 36 in 2025.

At the national level, India recorded 153 heart transplants in 2021, 243 in 2022, 221 in 2023, 253 in 2024 and 239 in 2025.

Gujarat’s share of India’s heart transplants increased from 8.5% in 2021 to 15.06% in 2025. Between 2023 and 2025, the state accounted for 98 of the 713 heart transplants conducted across India, representing 13.74% of the national total.

Dr Anil Jain, Founder Director, EPIC Multispecialty Hospital, said the partnership would add specialist expertise to the hospital’s existing heart-transplant programme and strengthen the management of complex transplant cases. 

He added that collaboration on LVAD implantation would provide another treatment option for eligible patients with advanced heart failure.

Dr K. R. Balakrishnan, Chairman – Cardiac Sciences and Director, Institute of Heart & Lung Transplant and Mechanical Circulatory Support, MGM Healthcare, Chennai, said patients with advanced and end-stage heart failure may require different forms of advanced therapy, including transplantation or mechanical circulatory support, depending on their clinical condition.