Procedure guide · Nephrology and transplant surgery
A living-donor kidney transplant places a healthy kidney from a living person into someone with kidney failure. In India foreign nationals can only receive a kidney from a near relative. The relationship must be certified and approved before surgery. IndiaMedica never sources donors. The transplant team decides who is medically suitable.
What is a living-donor kidney transplant?
MedlinePlus describes a kidney transplant as surgery to place a healthy kidney into a person with kidney failure. The new kidney is usually placed in the lower belly. The person’s own kidneys are usually left in place unless they cause problems. The donor’s kidney is removed under general anaesthesia, often through small incisions.
Almost all recipients must take medicines that suppress the immune system for life. These lower the risk of rejection. MedlinePlus notes they also raise the risk of infection and some cancers. So regular check-ups and blood tests continue for many years.
Who may be suitable, and who can donate?
Only the transplant team can decide. MedlinePlus lists reasons a transplant may not be done. They include certain infections such as TB or hepatitis, serious heart, lung or liver disease, a recent cancer, current smoking or alcohol or drug misuse, and difficulty taking medicines several times a day for life.
India regulates transplants under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act. A Ministry of Health document lists near-relative donors as mother, father, son, daughter, brother, sister and spouse. A 2011 amendment added grandparents and grandchildren, as reported by PIB. The Act applies greater caution for foreign nationals.
The rule for foreign nationals
The donor must be a near relative. Your embassy or high commission certifies the relationship on Form 21. The hospital’s Authorisation Committee must approve the transplant before surgery. IndiaMedica never sources, introduces or pays donors.
Which reports does a transplant team usually ask for?
MedlinePlus lists the usual evaluation. It includes tissue and blood typing, blood or skin tests for infection, heart tests such as an ECG or echocardiogram, and screening for early cancer. Before you travel, a team will usually want recent kidney function results, your dialysis history if any, and the identity and medical history of the proposed donor. Ask the hospital for its own list. The donor is assessed separately and must be fit to donate.
How should the trip be planned?
The trip has several stages. First come the medical review and the legal paperwork for donor and recipient. Then both travel with the documents the hospital asks for. On arrival there are evaluation tests and the Authorisation Committee review. Surgery follows only after approval. Recovery and close monitoring come next. MedlinePlus notes that recipients often stay near the hospital for a period after surgery. Your transplant team will tell you how long. Plan for an attendant who is not the donor. At home you will need a nephrologist who can monitor your medicines and blood tests.
What should you ask the hospital?
- Is the hospital registered for kidney transplantation under the Act?
- Which documents do you need from our embassy and our home country?
- How will the Authorisation Committee interview the donor and recipient?
- Which tests will the donor have, and who reviews their fitness?
- Which immunosuppressant medicines will I take, and can I get them at home?
- How will results be shared with my nephrologist at home?
Questions people ask
Can a friend donate a kidney to me in India?
IndiaMedica supports foreign nationals only where the donor is a near relative. The law lists near relatives as parents, children, siblings, spouse, grandparents and grandchildren. The relationship must be certified by your embassy and approved by the hospital’s Authorisation Committee.
Does IndiaMedica help find a kidney donor?
No. IndiaMedica never sources, introduces or pays organ donors. Buying or selling organs is illegal in India and the 2011 amendment raised the penalties. We help families who already have a near-relative donor understand the process and the paperwork.
Will I need medicines for life after a kidney transplant?
MedlinePlus says nearly all recipients take immunosuppressant medicines for life to prevent rejection. Your transplant team will prescribe them and explain the side effects. Before you leave India, confirm that the same medicines can be obtained in your home country.
Sources
- MedlinePlus: Kidney transplant
- Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (DGHS): Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act overview
- Press Information Bureau: Transplantation of Human Organs Act amendment
General information, not medical or legal advice. Rules change: confirm with the official source. Your treating specialist decides on suitability, treatment and length of stay. How we write and check.