GMC Patiala becomes first govt medical college in Punjab to perform kidney transplant

Government Medical College (GMC), Patiala, has successfully performed its first-ever kidney transplant, making it the first state-run medical college in Punjab to achieve this distinction.

This milestone comes after the state recorded successful liver transplants at Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (PILBS), Mohali.

Punjab Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education and Research Minister Dr Balbir Singh, while addressing a press conference at Punjab Bhawan here on Tuesday, said that the complex surgical procedure was successfully performed on September 10.

Dr Balbir Singh highlighted that the entire treatment and procedure were delivered completely free of cost under Mukh Mantri Sehat Yojana (MMSY), ensuring zero out-of-pocket expenditure for the family.

He pointed out that the same procedure costs between Rs 8 lakh and Rs 12 lakh in private healthcare facilities.

“This marks a transformative chapter in Punjab’s public medical history, bringing advanced, life-saving organ transplant care directly within the reach of the common man,” he said.

Dr Balbir Singh also congratulated the surgical team led by Prof Sarbpreet Singh, comprising Prof HBS Sandhu and Dr Supran Sharma, along with the nephrology team headed by Dr Thakurveer Kohli, and the anaesthesia team led by Dr Tanveer Kundra, Director Principal and HOD Medicine Dr RPS Sibia for achieving this milestone.

The Health Minister also expressed deep gratitude to Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, especially Director Prof Vivek Lal, and Prof Ashish Sharma, Head of Renal Transplant Surgery and ROTTO-North, as well as Department of Immunopathology at PGI Chandigarh, for their mentorship, hands-on training, technical guidance, and active on-site surgical supervision in establishing the renal transplant programme at GMC Patiala.