In an unusual example of compassion and communal harmony, a Hindu woman and a Muslim woman donated their kidneys to each other’s husbands in Ahmedabad after their relatives were found medically incompatible for direct donation.
The kidney swap transplants were performed at Sterling Hospital on July 9, with a 45-year-old Hindu man from Ahmedabad and a 42-year-old Muslim man from Udaipur receiving the kidneys.
According to the hospital, both men were suffering from chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease. Their respective relatives were willing to donate kidneys but could not do so because of medical incompatibility.
“The landmark procedure involved two patients with chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease, whose respective donors (relatives) could not donate directly due to medical incompatibility,” the hospital said in a statement.
The two families then explored the possibility of a paired kidney exchange, in which each donor gives a kidney to the other family’s recipient.
Donors Matched Through Kidney Swap
Doctors at Sterling Hospital reviewed the medical reports and scans of the donors and recipients and found that the two donor-recipient pairs were suitable for an exchange.
“The donor from the first patient’s family met the criteria to donate to the second patient, and vice versa,” the hospital said.
After counselling, both families agreed to undergo the swap transplant.
The procedure marked the first kidney swap transplants performed at Sterling Hospital.
Hospital Calls It an Example of Harmony
The hospital described the procedure as an example of “compassion, trust, communal harmony, and the shared human desire to save a life.”
Dr Sudhir Morad, Clinical Superintendent at Sterling Hospital, said the procedure demonstrated how organ-swap programmes can help patients when direct donation is not medically possible.
“A kidney swap gives patients a second opportunity when a willing donor cannot directly donate because of incompatibility,” Morad said.
He added that the cooperation between the two families made the procedure particularly meaningful.
“What makes this achievement particularly meaningful is the spirit of compassion, harmony, and trust demonstrated by the donors and families,” he said.
All Four Discharged After Successful Recovery
According to the hospital, both recipients recovered well following the transplants. Their serum creatinine levels at discharge were reported at 1.26 mg/dL and 1.30 mg/dL, indicating good early kidney function.
All four people involved in the exchange were discharged from the hospital on July 18.
The transplants were carried out by a multidisciplinary team led by Dr Sonal Dalal, Dr Javed Vakil, Dr Ketan Shukla, Dr Himanshu Patel and Dr Bhavin Mahetaliya, with support from transplant coordinator Rahil Shah.
