Guwahati, Oct 24: Gauhati Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) has successfully performed the Northeast’s first-ever liver transplant at a government hospital, with both the recipient and the donor currently admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU).
The complex surgery, which lasted around 16 hours and was completed on Friday night, was performed on 48-year-old Bhagat Singh, a resident of Beharbari, by a team of doctors led by specialist Dr Senthil Kumar from Andhra Pradesh, in collaboration with medical experts from Guwahati.
“Currently, both the donor and the recipient are admitted to the ICU, and the medical college principal has informed me that the operation has been successful,” Health Minister Ashok Singhal said on Saturday.
The minister described the procedure as a major advancement in Assam’s healthcare sector, noting that it was the first liver transplant performed at a government hospital in the Northeast.
“As far as I know, there are not even 10 state-run medical colleges and hospitals in India that can carry out liver transplants,” he said, underlining the significance of developing such specialised treatment facilities within the public healthcare system.
However, Singhal cautioned against assuming that the procedure would become a routine offering immediately, saying that the state had only begun the process and would need to progress gradually.
“We have started the procedure, and it is not that it will continue day after day. We will gradually move ahead with it,” he said.
Emphasising the government’s efforts to improve access to advanced treatment, the minister said the state would continue working to provide specialised medical care to patients at affordable costs.
“We are attempting to move forward with progressive ideas in Assam’s health sector,” Singhal said, describing the successful transplant as a milestone.
He cited kidney transplantation as an example of the state’s efforts to make complex procedures more affordable, stating that around 33 to 36 kidney transplants had been carried out in Assam over the past year at a cost of approximately Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 3 lakh per procedure.
On organ donation, Singhal said the existing framework required donors to be close relatives of recipients, including spouses, siblings and children.
He indicated that expanding the eligible donor pool would require safeguards to ensure transparency and prevent misuse of the system.
Meanwhile, the Health Minister also said that the Biswanath Medical College is expected to open to the public in April 2027.
He made the announcement after inspecting the newly constructed facility and reviewing the progress of work, expressing satisfaction with the pace of construction.
“Construction is nearing completion, and we have set a target to open it for public service next April,” Singhal told the press.
The medical college is expected to improve access to healthcare for residents of Biswanath district and neighbouring areas.