External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj is expected to undergo a kidney transplant at AIIMS here this weekend, with the organ being harvested from a living unrelated donor.
“Living unrelated donor could be anyone who is emotionally attached to the recipient, such as friend, a relative, a neighbour or an in-law.
As no suitable donor was available in the immediate family, the transplant will be done with the kidney from a living unrelated donor. As of now the transplant is scheduled to take place this weekend. The clearance from the authorisation committee has been obtained,” sources at AIIMS said, adding Sawaraj’s pre-transplant process was complete.
“The work up procedure of both the recipient (Sushma) and the donor is complete. Both the recipient and the donor underwent multiple tests to avoid co-morbidity. HLA-matching test in case of an unrelated donor is not essential.
We have performed the crossmatch and a series of blood and immunological tests and have found both of them fit for the procedure,” a doctor said. The surgery will be performed by a team of experts constituted by AIIMS.
According to doctors, Swaraj been suffering from diabetes for quite a long time. After the kidney failure diagnosis, she was put on maintenance dialysis. “She undergoes dialysis thrice a week,” a senior doctor said.
On November 16, Swaraj had tweeted that she was in AIIMS because of kidney failure. “I am in AIIMS because of kidney failure. Presently, I am on dialysis. I am undergoing tests for a kidney transplant. Lord Krishna will bless,” Swaraj had tweeted.
64-year-old Swaraj, who has been in and out of the hospital for last few months, was admitted to AIIMS on November 7. After Swaraj made public her health condition on social media, support had poured in for her with several people offering their kidneys for transplant. Earlier she was admitted to AIIMS in April for treatment of pneumonia and other health issues.
