New Delhi: HL September 30, 2026
Safdarjung Hospital and Vardhman Mahavir Medical College (VMMC) have achieved a significant medical milestone by successfully performing a dual kidney transplant, in which both kidneys from a single donor were transplanted into one patient.
According to hospital officials, this is the first procedure of its kind at a Central Government hospital. The transplant was carried out using kidneys from a donor considered a marginal donor because of age and certain medical factors.
The donor, a 62-year-old man, was declared brain-dead at Command Hospital, Chandimandir, on the night of September 19. After medical evaluation, his family consented to organ donation.
The Safdarjung transplant team subsequently decided to use both kidneys in the same recipient. Doctors said that using both organs in selected cases can help utilise kidneys that might otherwise be considered less suitable for transplantation under conventional circumstances.
The organs were transported to Delhi with logistical assistance from the Indian Air Force’s Western Command. The liver was sent to Army Hospital (Research & Referral), while both kidneys were brought to Safdarjung Hospital.
The complex transplant was performed by a multidisciplinary team led by Dr Pawan Vasudeva, Director and Head of the Department of Urology and Renal Transplantation, Safdarjung Hospital.
Hospital officials also acknowledged the support of the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO), the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, and the hospital’s transplant coordinators and administrative teams in facilitating the procedure.
The hospital said the successful operation demonstrates the potential for carefully selected marginal donor organs to be utilised for transplantation and could contribute to expanding the availability of kidneys for patients requiring organ replacement therapy.
