Sikkim’s first kidney transplant scheduled for August 15

KUNAL RAI

New STNM Hospital set to begin transplant services after years of preparation

GANGTOK,: The Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Sikkim, under the leadership of Chief Minister Prem SinghTamang (Golay), is all set to begin kidney transplant services at the new STNM Hospital at Sochakgang in Gangtok from August 15.

Addressing a media conference at the new STNM Hospital on Thursday, Health Minister GT Dhungel said the first kidney transplant in Sikkim, scheduled for August 15, is the outcome of a planned and sustained effort spanning the last two to three years, rather than an overnight achievement.

The minister said the programme had been developed progressively, with every aspect, from legal and regulatory requirements to infrastructure, administrative arrangements and clinical preparedness, being addressed over the years.

Dhungelsaid the need for an organ transplant facility within the State had become increasingly important in view of the growing number of kidney patients requiring advanced treatment. With the objective of enabling patients to access transplant services within Sikkim, the Chief Minister had initiated the process of establishing a dedicated transplant unit at the State's own hospital, he informed.

According to Dhungel, the establishment of the transplant unit was made possible through sustained political and administrative commitment, along with the government's focus on providing better healthcare facilities to the people of Sikkim. He said he, along with officials of the Health Department, had also visited the Union Health Minister to seek support and assistance for developing the facility.

Administrative groundwork

Over the past several years, the Health and Family Welfare Department, senior officials and the hospital administration have worked continuously on the administrative requirements for the programme. This included obtaining necessary approvals, coordination among different agencies and departments, infrastructure-related planning, procurement and financial arrangements.

Legal and regulatory preparedness

Considerable attention was also given to ensuring that all necessary legal and regulatory requirements for organ transplantation were fulfilled. The programme was developed in accordance with the applicable national transplant framework, ensuring that the transplant service was established on a proper legal and ethical foundation rather than being undertaken in haste.

Infrastructure development

Dhungel said the necessary infrastructure for the transplant programme had been progressively strengthened. This included the operation theatre, intensive care unit, transplant-related equipment, dialysis support, laboratory and diagnostic facilities, as well as postoperative care infrastructure.

The infrastructure, he said, had been developed with the objective of ensuring that kidney transplantation could be undertaken safely and that the service could be maintained on a sustainable basis.

Specialised training and expert support

Extensive capacity-building and specialised training were also undertaken as part of the preparation for the transplant programme. The medical team gained experience through collaboration with the established transplant centre at Rabindranath Tagore Narayana Hospital in Kolkata, where members of the Sikkim team underwent training for a period of three months.

The training covered various aspects of kidney transplantation, including nephrology, urology, anaesthesia, nursing, operation theatre management and technical services.

Dhungel said the Kolkata hospital conducts around three kidney transplants a day and that the training of the Sikkim team was carried out through a structured handholding approach.

He said the transplant programme involved a multidisciplinary medical team comprising specialists from nephrology, urology, anaesthesia and critical care, along with senior surgeons and other specialists. Together, they have worked on establishing the donor and recipient evaluation processes as well as surgical, anaesthetic and postoperative care pathways.

The wider hospital team has also played an important role in making the programme functional. Nurses, operation theatre technicians, ICU staff, dialysis personnel, laboratory and blood bank teams, biomedical, civil, mechanical and electrical personnel, CSSD, pharmacy, radiology, infection-control and other support services have all contributed to the establishment of the transplant facility.

Government-administration-medical partnership

The minister said the kidney transplant programme demonstrates what can be achieved through sustained cooperation between political leadership, administrative machinery and medical expertise. He emphasised that each of these components had played an essential role in bringing the programme to its present stage and that the achievement could not have been realised through the efforts of any one group alone.

Dhungel also placed on record his appreciation for the entire transplant team and everyone involved in the initiative. He said the team extends beyond doctors and surgeons to include nurses, technicians, administrative officers, engineers and numerous support staff from different departments, all of whom have contributed to making Sikkim's first kidney transplant possible.

STNM core transplant team

The core transplant team at STNM Hospital comprises surgeons Dr NeerajBhattarai, Dr BikramKharga, Dr ChodenNorbu and Dr Karma DomaBhutia.

The nephrology team includes Dr AbhisekGautam and Dr Judith Namchyo, while the anaesthesia team comprises Dr NeelimaPradhan, Dr SonamDiki, Dr PankajPradhan and Dr Amrita Gurung.

The nursing team includes Belamit Lepcha, DikiDoma Lepcha, PempoDomaBhutia, YeshelBhutia, Yamuna Sharma, PrernaBasnett, Bandana Thapa, Divya Sharma and Pema Eden Bhutia. Technicians ArpanNeupane and Tapan are also part of the core team.

Milestone and beginning of a new service

The first kidney transplant, scheduled for August 15, is expected to be attended by the Governor of Sikkim and Chief Minister PS Tamang.

Dhungel said the first transplant would be carried out in coordination with experts from Rabindranath Tagore Narayana Hospital, Kolkata. The Health Department has initially planned to undertake one kidney transplant per month as the service begins.

The minister said more than 20,000 kidney patients from the State undergo dialysis annually at STNM Hospital, highlighting the need for advanced renal care and transplant services within Sikkim.

He described the August 15 transplant not merely as the State's first kidney transplant but as the culmination of several years of preparation and the beginning of a sustainable transplant service. The facility, he said, would enable patients requiring kidney transplantation to access advanced treatment closer to their homes and families.