Rohit Shishodia
Delhi’s Safdarjung hospital has opened its first Renal Transplant Clinic to provide treatment to patients who require kidney transplants and to provide follow up treatment to those who have undergone kidney transplant. Patients are registered in the clinic and all investigations and counseling done in the clinic.

Patients with kidney ailments need infection free treatment which was a challenge earlier where patients used to come to the hospital's general OPD.

“The clinic serves this purpose and provides infection free treatments. Patients and their families are counseled for kidney donation and all documentation are completed in the clinic. The significant part of this clinic is to give free medicines,” said Dr Himanshu Verma, HOD, Department of Nephrology and Renal Transplant Sciences.

“No hospital in India provides free medicines for kidney transplants. This is the first time that a government hospital provides free of cost medicines for patients who need kidney transplants or have undergone kidney transplants. These medicines have to be taken for lifetime. Transplants are also done free of cost. This could only be possible with support of hospital superintendent Dr Sunil Gupta and Government of India,” added Dr Verma.

In India, more than 1 lakh new patients who need kidney transplant and dialysis are added every year. Around 100 patients visit Safdarjung hospital for kidney transplant every month. In Safdarjung, one kidney transplant is done every week. Around 30 patients are in the waiting list for kidney transplant. It takes around three months for the transplant. Live kidney transplants are conducted in the hospital.

Diabetes, obesity, stress, uncontrolled blood pressure, inadequate intake of water, smoking and air pollution are major risk factors for kidney ailments.