It has been 50 years since a highly skilled team of doctors from Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore carried out India's first successful kidney transplant on February 2, 1971.
In 1965 and 1966, three kidney transplant attempts were made; Two in Mumbai, one in Varanasi. All three failed even though demonstrated by senior doctors. Meanwhile, CMC was planning to begin transplant programme. During this Jacob Chandy deputed Dr. Rao and nephrologist K.V. Johny to Adelaide where the first successful transplant in Australia performed in The Queen Elizabeth Hospital. On his return to Vellore in 1970, he started planning for the first kidney transplant at CMC.Dr Rao was under pressure that if this transplant failed, the patient would refuse to come to his hospital. Dr. Rao started the operation at 7 pm with the aid available and ended at midnight.
Dr. Rao did wonder for India's healthcare system.
Do you know?
The world’s first successful kidney transplant was performed by Dr. Joseph Murray in 1954; the transplant survived for 8 years ; Dr. Murray and his team was awarded with the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1990 for his work on organ transplants.
