Kidney Transplant in India: Cost, Procedure & Success Rate

How does a Kidney Transplant Work and What is it?

• Living Donor Transplant: A patient's closest relative voluntarily donates their kidney to the patient. Usually, these people are parents, siblings, or children; they can also be parents who donate to the children of their spouse or people who donate to their friends whom they care for.

• Deceased Donor Transplant: A kidney is given by a person who has passed away, either as a registered organ donor or from a family that provided consent for donation. Patients who do not have a suitable living donor receive these transplants.

Yet, to be the real one needing a kidney transplant? The primary patients are those including the persons who have:

• Chronic Kidney Disease or CKD is a condition in which the kidney is unable to perform its function well, while in later stages both kidneys stop functioning altogether. 
• End-stage renal failure refers to such advanced stages in which the kidney can do nothing anymore. 
• Diabetic nephropathy is such a complication of diabetes that the kidneys are damaged. 
• Glomerulonephritis represents the inflammation of the filtering units (the glomeruli) of the kidney. 
• Polycystic Kidney Disease is genetically inherited and causes abnormal lumps or bulges to grow on the kidney. 

What are the Key Points of the Kidney Transplant Procedure in India?

The voyage to a kidney transplant is a complex and multi-step process that includes an initial stage of evaluation and preparation and then a phase of post-renal care.

The Pre-Transplant Process: A Thorough Evaluation

After all, only a comprehensive evaluation that includes all possible options can rule out the feasibility of the surgery. All these are:

Extensive Medical Tests: Among the procedures, wherein the type of blood, urine, and imaging studies help into predict the patient’s overall health condition, for instance, blood tests, urine tests, imaging studies (like X-rays and CT scans); of course, the subsequent cardiac evaluation also demonstrates good health and thus your chances to get infected.

Finding a Donor: The donor being located is a significant hurdle. In the case of a donor, they are subjected to a series of intensive exams to ascertain whether they are the rightful donor. If not, they are put on the waitlist for a kidney from a deceased donor.

Organ Matching and Compatibility Testing: Some of the techniques to detect these antibodies are either physical testing i.e. blood typing, human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing (to find the most compatible tissue) or advanced type of testing referred to as crossmatching (to detect any kind of antibodies that could be responsible for the kidney rejection). Initially, it was a must to reduce rejection as much as possible.

The Surgery Itself: A New Kidney, a New Beginning

• The first few days after the transplant are very crucial. While recovering, the hospital staff will keep an eye out for potential bleeding, infection, or rejection. You will receive pain relief medication during this time, and its main aim is to make you comfortable.  Eventually, you'll be put on a clear liquid diet again. 
• Physiotherapy will again help you regain strength, which is an integral part of getting on your feet. 
• The commitment to transplant care is, indeed, a long one, including post-transplant care, however, it is not only a commitment that encompasses a new kidney.
• Immunosuppressive therapy: At this point, immunosuppressive treatment with immunosuppressants is set out to avoid the rejection of the new kidney by the body. It is a medication that suppresses the immune system so that the immune system does not attack the new organ. They use different types of immunosuppressive drugs, and your doctor will determine your plan.
• Regular Follow-Up and Monitoring: Your transplant team will continue to see you for frequent follow-ups in order to assess kidney function, modify your medication and screen for any issues. As time goes by, visits with the doctors will become less frequent. They will do blood examination regularly.

What is the Cost of a Kidney Transplant in India?

Kidney transplant costs in India can vary greatly depending on several factors. But overall, it is less than in most Western nations, making it a popular destination for medical travelers.

The average cost of the kidney transplant procedure in India is approximately in the range of  INR 5 Lakhs to INR 15 Lakhs ( 8,600 USD to 25,794 USD).

Factors Affecting the Cost

• Hospital and Location Fees: Hospitals located in cities or towns offer different prices. Also, expensive transplants are at private city hospitals.
• Costs Related to the Donor: Living donor transplantations may include expenses of donor evaluation, surgery, and post-operative care. Deceased donor transplantations may include organ procurement fees.
• Pre and Post-Operative Care: How much care you need before and after the surgery could also affect costs.

Comparative Cost with Other Countries

Insurance and Financial Aspects

What is the Success Rate of Kidney Transplants in India?

What Helps in Determining the Success Rates of Kidney Transplant in India?

• Age: Younger recipients tend to do better.
• Overall Health: The general health of the patient and any other relevant underlying medical conditions associated with the patient.
• Type of Donor: Living donor transplants usually have more excellent success rates than deceased donor transplants.
• HLA MATCHING: A better HLA match between the recipient and donor increases the chances of long-term graft acceptance.
• Life After Transplant: Life After Kidney Transplant Long-term, with good post-transplant care and compliance with immunosuppressive drugs, most kidney transplant recipients can expect to lead long and healthy lives with a good quality of life. 
• Five-year and ten-year survival rates are also generally excellent, with more than half of patients demonstrating durable graft function.

 Why India is a Global Forum for Kidney Transplant?

• Best Medical Treatment and Specialized Knowledge: In India, there is an increasing number of world-class hospitals that are endowed with high-quality technology and manpower.
• International Accreditations: Many of the best hospitals in India today had the satisfaction of being checked by international organizations such as JCI (Joint Commission International), that certify the standard of the system.
• This is mainly due to its pool of highly skilled and experienced transplant surgeons who have conducted thousands of kidney transplants.
• Cost-Effective Treatment Alternatives: As discussed earlier, Indian transplantation costs are far lesser than that of Western nations, enticing medical tourists.
• Reduced Wait Times: In certain instances, the wait times for deceased donor kidneys may be more favourable in India.