Indiana Hospital and Heart Institute in the city on Monday said for the first time in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, the hospital successfully performed a kidney transplant for an international patient. This, it said, marked a major milestone in the health tourism industry.
Speaking to reporters here, Hospital Managing Director Yusuf Kumble noted that Francis John Musembi, 58, from Kenya, who was suffering from acute renal failure, was the beneficiary of the procedure after his brother, Patrick, donated a kidney. The recipient is now healthy and out of hemodialysis, Dr. Kumble said.
While many from abroad visit Mangaluru for various treatments, Mr. Musembi’s was the first case of kidney transplant in the region. He had to travel 70 km twice a week for hemodialysis. The cost of surgery in Kenya was too high and he approached Indiana as the hospital has a tie up with Kenyan government, Dr. Kumble said.
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The surgery was performed by a team led by K.J. Pradeep, consultant nephrologist, and Abhijith Shetty, consultant urologist, at the hospital on March 28.
Dr. Kumble said organ donation was an invaluable gift that involves no cost but was very effective. One need not be a doctor to save a life; one can save a life by organ donation. The hospital intends to create mass awareness about organ donation, he said.