ESIC Medical College and Hospital, Faridabad in Haryana has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the north India’s first ESIC (Employees State Insurance Corporation) hospital to perform the kidney transplant, giving a ray of hope to many renal patients enrolled with the ESIC.

The transplant was done on December 27 by a team of doctors and hospital staff under the guidance and support of Dr Asim Das (Dean) and Dr A K Pandey (Medical Superintendent), said Dr Vimal Bhandari, surgeon and head of the Kidney Transplant Unit at the hospital.

The kidney was received by Vipin Kumar(28), who was on dialysis, from his mother. Both are hale and hearty, Dr Bhandari said, adding that this achievement provides our hospital with competency. Recognising the efforts of the doctors at the hospital, Union Labour and Employment Minister Bhupender Yadav took to the social media post X, saying that the Hospital at Faridabad “has achieved a huge milestone by performing the first-ever live kidney transplant on 28-year-old Vipin Kumar, an insured person, who got the kidney from his mother.”

"It assures patients that we have the expertise and infrastructure to effectively conduct such complicated but life-saving surgeries," added Dr Bhandari, the former head of the National Organ Tissue and Transplant Organization(NOTTO) under the Union Health Ministry.

According to Dr A K Pandey, kidney transplant improves life expectancy and reduces the morbidity of patients who have end stage renal disease (ESRD). There is a waiting list of over three lakh patients. But because of the absence of facilities at many government hospitals as well as organs, they have to either shell out hefty money or succumb to the ailment.

Dr. Jitendra Kumar, senior nephrologist at the hospital said that 16 percent of the people in the district are suffering from some form of kidney disease, most of them due to diabetes and high blood pressure. “Lack of awareness among people is also one of the reasons for the increase in the disease. Due to this, people do not get the disease treated on time and by the time they reach the hospital, the disease progresses significantly.”

The kidney transplant facility at the ESIC Faridabad hospital, however, gives a ray of hope to many such patients.

The others in the team included Dr Saurabh Joshi, senior kidney transplant surgeon, Dr Varun, Senior Nephro consultant, Dr Nishant, Urologist, Dr Gaurav also Urologist who is said to have played a main role in transplant procedure, Dr Amit, a senior Anaesthetists, Dr Megha and Dr Mamta besides senior technicians, nursing officials.

The district has about 6.50 lakh ESIC cardholders. Apart from Faridabad, patients from districts like Gurugram, Palwal, Hodal, Hathin, Panipat, Rewari, Yamunanagar, etc. come to ESIC Medical College and Hospital for treatment.