Chandigarh's PGI feat: Over 5k kidney transplant operations in 51 years

CHANDIGARH: PGI has performed more than 5,000 kidney transplant surgeries, second highest in the country after the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Center (IKDRC), Ahmedabad.

Moreover, 102 patients have been covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme from 2022 till date.

The scheme provides free transplant surgery costs for beneficiaries. Out of 607 such surgeries from 2022 till date, 17% have been covered under govt health insurance coverage. Also, an additional Rs 1 lakh is provided under the scheme for transplant rejection treatment.


This comes as a boon for most patients suffering from chronic kidney disease or end stage kidney disease, who eventually need transplant surgery.

The IKDRC was established in 1981 with a 400-bed kidney hospital. It has performed around 7,000 such surgeries in 43 years, while PGI has conducted more than 5,000 in 51 years with around 50 beds for kidney patients.

PGI director Prof Vivek Lal said, “This further proves PGI’s commitment towards affordable patient care for the needy and poor. Ayushmann is a Godsent for the poor and is changing the medical ecosystem of our country.”

An oft-cited study on the subject published in “Plos One” journal by Drs Raja Ramachandran and Vivekanand Jha of PGI found that kidney transplant is associated with catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure and pushes majority of patients who come for treatment to public hospitals into severe financial crisis.

Catastrophic health expenditure is defined as one that reduces the non-healthcare expenditure to a level where the household is unable to maintain consumption of necessities.

Direct expenses included physician fees, cost of drugs and disposables, dialysis and expenses on investigations and hospitalisation.

Indirect expenses include travel, food, stay and loss of income suffered by the family. The study found that the direct costs ranged from US$ 2,151–23,792 and accounted for two-thirds of the total expenses, while indirect expenses ranged from US$ 226–15,283. 


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