The Calcutta Medical Research Institute (CMRI) celebrates Sharing is Caring with the Young Champions. These young kids underwent kidney transplants and got a second lease on life.

The doctors (Dr, Pradip Chakraborty, HOD Renal Science Department, Senior Consultant Transplant Surgeon, Dr. Rajib Sinha, Consultant, Paediatric Nephrologist, and others) along with the patients graced the occasion.

The patients who graced the occasion were Wahisa Khan, a 12-year-old, and Alia, a 10-year-old child. Wahisa was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure while Alia was diagnosed with an alputs disease.

The young survivors also showcased their skills at the event.

In India, there is limited access to tertiary level healthcare and limited trained pediatric nephrologists, and transplant physicians, lack of facilities for pediatric dialysis, lack of deceased donor program, non-affordability, and non-adherence to immune suppressant drugs all lead to pediatric transplant in India.

CMRI has a state-of-the-art renal transplant department and they are the only center in Eastern India that runs the pediatric transplant program with a team of qualified and trained medical specialists and support staff.

CMRI also wishes to strengthen its collaboration with the Institute of Child Health (ICH) which specializes in pediatric care.

According to doctors, a kidney transplant is the best solution for kidney replacement therapy in children. Due to a lack of awareness in India, we lag behind in kidney transplants. The pediatric transplant program has been developed to kickstart this awareness among the people. This program consists of the best surgical acumen and complies with international protocols. It has resulted in excellent clinical results.

To date, several pediatric kidney transplants have been performed at CMRI and the team at the hospital continues to perform such transplants in the future.

With the help of such initiatives of CMRI, children with kidney problems can get a new lease on life.

Priyanka Dutta