Punjab Newsline | Patiala
Punjab’s public healthcare sector achieved a major milestone on Tuesday as Government Medical College (GMC), Patiala successfully performed its first-ever kidney transplant, becoming the first government medical college in the state to offer kidney transplantation services.
Health and Family Welfare as well as Medical Education and Research Minister Dr. Balbir Singh announced the achievement, stating that the transplant surgery was conducted on September 10. Both the recipient and the donor—his wife—are stable and recovering under medical supervision in the transplant ICU.
The minister highlighted that the entire treatment was provided free of cost under the Chief Minister Sehat Scheme, sparing the family from spending the ₹8–12 lakh typically required for a kidney transplant in private hospitals.
The recipient, a 37-year-old resident of Romana Patti in Namol village of Sangrur district, had been suffering from kidney failure due to Membranoproliferative Glomerulonephritis (MPGN). Since December 2025, he had been undergoing hemodialysis three times a week. Following medical evaluation and compatibility tests, his 29-year-old wife voluntarily donated a kidney.
Dr. Balbir Singh interacted with the patient and his wife through a video call and congratulated them while also commending the transplant team for the landmark achievement.
The transplant surgery was led by Prof. Sarbpreet Singh, with Prof. HBS Sandhu and Dr. Supran Sharma as key members of the surgical team. The nephrology team was headed by Dr. Thakurveer Kohli, while Dr. Tanveer Kundra led the anaesthesia team. Director-Principal and Head of the Medicine Department, Dr. RPS Sibia, also played a significant role in the procedure.
Minister noted that while Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (PILBS), Mohali had previously conducted successful liver transplants in the government sector, GMC Patiala has now become the first government medical college in Punjab to establish a kidney transplant program.
Dr. Balbir Singh also acknowledged the crucial support extended by PGIMER Chandigarh in setting up the transplant facility. He thanked PGIMER Director Prof. Vivek Lal, Prof. Ashish Sharma, Head of Renal Transplant Surgery and ROTO-North, and the Department of Immunopathology for providing training, technical guidance, and on-site surgical supervision during the programme’s establishment.
