For years, patients from Arunachal Pradesh had to board flights to Delhi just to get a kidney transplant. That journey may now be a thing of the past.
On September 28, Chief Minister Pema Khandu announced that the Tomo Riba Institute of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) in Itanagar had successfully performed the state’s very first kidney transplant — a moment that, quietly and without fanfare, changed what healthcare in this part of the country can look like.
The surgery took place on Sunday. A 34-year-old man received a kidney donated by his 45-year-old sister. By Monday, both were stable, their vital signs holding steady. TRIHMS transplant surgeon Dr Naloh Mibang said they were expected to recover fully within 48 to 72 hours. A sister gave her brother a second chance at life — and a state finally gave its people a reason to stay home for treatment.
The procedure was carried out with the support of senior transplant specialists from Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi, but make no mistake — this was not a Delhi operation conducted on Arunachal’s soil. It was the result of three years of deliberate, patient groundwork.
CM Khandu, speaking at his office, explained that the state government had been collaborating with Sir Ganga Ram Hospital since 2023 to train TRIHMS doctors and nurses in transplant medicine. Batches of medical staff travelled to Delhi repeatedly, some accompanying patients who were receiving treatment there, getting hands-on exposure to a procedure they would one day perform back home. That investment paid off on Sunday.
Sir Ganga Ram Hospital’s transplant surgeon Dr Harsh Jauhari, who was part of the team that oversaw the surgery, called it “the first of many to come.” He pointed out something worth paying attention to — kidney disease is rising, driven by increasing rates of obesity, diabetes, and hypertension. Arunachal, he said, needs to be ready. His larger vision for TRIHMS is to see it grow into a centre of excellence for the entire Northeast.
That ambition is not far-fetched if you look at what else is in motion. The government has hiked financial assistance for organ transplants under its CM CARES initiative. Kidney transplant support has gone up from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12.5 lakh. Bone marrow and liver transplant assistance has also been increased. These aren’t just numbers — they represent real families who might now be able to afford treatment they previously couldn’t.
Health Secretary Vivek H P was candid about the road ahead. The initial focus will stay on a limited number of transplants as doctors and nurses continue training and gaining experience. There’s no rush to overreach. The goal is to build something that lasts.
Cardiology is next on the government’s priority list. A cancer hospital at Midpu is already 55 per cent complete, with work expected to wrap up next year. Piece by piece, Arunachal is building the kind of healthcare infrastructure its people have deserved for a long time.
What happened at TRIHMS on Sunday was more than a successful surgery. It was proof that a state at the edge of the country doesn’t have to remain at the edge of medical care — and that with three years of quiet, unglamorous work, the impossible has a way of becoming routine.
