| Staff REPORTER |
ITANAGAR, Sep 28: Arunachal Pradesh has achieved a significant milestone in healthcare with the successful completion of the State’s first-ever kidney transplant at the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS), Naharlagun, on Sunday.
The transplant was performed on a 34-year-old man by a joint team of specialists from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi, and doctors from TRIHMS, marking a major step towards strengthening advanced renal care and organ transplantation services in the State.
Chief Minister Pema Khandu announced the achievement during a press briefing at the Chief Minister’s Office here on Monday. The medical team involved in the procedure, led by transplant surgeon Dr Harsha Jauhari of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, was also present.
Khandu said Arunachal had “created history in the healthcare journey” with the successful kidney transplant at TRIHMS. He said the achievement was the result of sustained efforts to strengthen specialised healthcare facilities in the State so that people would not have to travel outside Arunachal for advanced medical treatment.
The Chief Minister, accompanied by Health Minister Biyuram Wahge and the Minister’s Advisor Dr Mohesh Chai, had visited TRIHMS on Sunday and met the recipient and his elder sister, who donated her kidney to him. Khandu congratulated the doctors, nurses, technicians and other healthcare professionals involved in the procedure.
Dr Naloh Mibang, transplant surgeon at TRIHMS, told reporters that both the 34-year-old recipient and his 45-year-old elder sister, the donor, were doing well and their vital parameters were stable. He said both were expected to recover well over the next 48 to 72 hours.
Khandu said doctors and medical professionals from TRIHMS had undergone training and received guidance and handholding from specialists at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital over the past three years. The sustained collaboration, he said, had helped build the institutional capacity and expertise required to undertake kidney transplantation at TRIHMS.
He expressed gratitude to Dr Harsha Jauhari and his team from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital for their expertise, dedication and continued guidance in strengthening TRIHMS’s capacity for renal transplantation.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the State government’s recent decision to enhance financial assistance for organ transplantation under its healthcare support programme. Kidney transplant assistance has been increased from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12.5 lakh, while assistance for bone marrow transplantation has been raised from Rs 15 lakh to Rs 17.5 lakh and liver transplantation from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 22.5 lakh.
The Rs 2.5 lakh enhancement for each procedure is part of the CM CARES initiative aimed at strengthening healthcare support and reducing the financial burden on families requiring specialised treatment, Khandu said.
Dr Jauhari said kidney-related diseases were on the rise and Arunachal needed to prepare for future healthcare requirements. He noted that conditions such as obesity, diabetes and hypertension were contributing to kidney failure.
“TRIHMS should eventually develop into a centre of excellence for the Northeast, attracting patients from across the region,” he said.
The successful transplant marks an important advancement in the clinical capabilities of TRIHMS, the State’s lone medical college, and is expected to provide fresh impetus to the development of specialised renal and transplant services in Arunachal Pradesh.
Khandu said the government would continue efforts to strengthen and expand healthcare facilities across the State with the vision of making Arunachal increasingly self-reliant in healthcare.
The successful procedure also highlights the importance of long-term institutional collaboration and capacity-building in enabling specialised medical procedures to be undertaken within the State, potentially reducing the need for eligible patients to seek such treatment outside Arunachal Pradesh.