India / Unique kidney transplant saves Hindu woman from Bihar and Muslim man from Kashmir

In a rare gesture of humanity, a unique kidney swap was successfully conducted between a Hindu family from Bihar and a Muslim family from Kashmir at a local hospital here.

The families of Manjula Devi from Bihar and Abdul Aziz from Kashmir were looking for suitable donors since their respective spouses’ kidneys were a poor mismatch for each other.

The families crossed paths three months after they got themselves registered in a mobile app iKidney, developed by Dr Priyadarshini Ranjan.

After conducting all the requisite tests, experts opined that the kidney of donor Sujeet Kumar (46) and husband of Manjula Devi (42) was a good match for Abdul Aziz. Sujeet works at UCO bank. Similarly, the kidney of donor Shazia (50) wife of Aziz (53), who is a carpenter, was a good match for Devi.

Both families agreed to undergo surgeries for a paired kidney exchange.

Manjula Devi, who received Shazia’s kidney, said, “I feel very lucky that we got in touch with Shazia’s family. It gives me a great source of strength that humanity, above all religion, is the greatest religion of all.”

Abdul Aziz, who received a kidney from Sujeet Kumar, said, “We now know that helping a human in the times of need is the greatest deed for anyone. Humanity as a religion makes us humane. What we experienced through this swap is nothing but an exemplary display of humanity, love and care. ”

Speaking after the swap surgeries, Dr Priyadarshi Ranjan Consultant, Urology, Andrology and Transplant Surgery, Fortis Hospital, Mohali said, "It gives us immense satisfaction that the kidney transplants were a success. Both the families are extremely happy as the patients are recovering and responding well to the post-surgery treatment. This fortunate matching was possible through iKidney app that explores possible paired kidney exchanges between eligible donors and patients.”