Telangana: Two families turn saviours for each other through kidney swap

Two families turned saviours for each other through kidney swaps in Telangana’s Hyderabad.
Kidney swapping is a process in which donors from two families exchange their kidneys with each other. Chief Consultant Nephrologist, Dr. Sreedhar, stated that this is a very promising method for kidney transplantation.

Speaking to ANI, Chief Consultant Nephrologist, Star Hospitals, Hyderabad, Dr. Sreedhar said, “Now, cases of people suffering from kidney failure are increasing day by day. Out of 100 patients requiring kidney transplantation in India, only 3% to 5% undergo the procedure. Despite the best treatment on offer, the main reason for this is that 95% are not able to undergo a transplant as the blood group of the donor and the recipient does not match.”
“Earlier, we used to reject transplantation in such cases. Now, there are two options. They can undergo ABO-incompatible kidney transplantation, which means we make them fit with some medical procedures and medications, making them compatible for the transplantation. The other is the paired kidney exchange or swap kidney exchange, where the first family donor will give the kidney to the second family and vice versa,” he added.
“We can offer the best treatment to almost 40% of the people suffering from end-stage renal disease. The transplantation is performed under the Aarogyasri scheme,” Dr. Sreedhar said.
Meena, who donated her kidney to a person from another family as part of a kidney swap, shared her happiness stating her husband, who was a recipient, had no hope of finding a donor and receiving a kidney.
“However, under the guidance of Dr. Sreedhar, we opted for a kidney swap,” she added.
Another recipient, Raghunath Reddy, said he did not think he would receive a kidney as he and his wife have different blood groups.
“I am happy to have received a kidney through a swap,” he said