A New Heart, a New Chapter: Kerala’s District Hospital Creates History with Life-Saving Transplant
It was the heart of a 46-year-old man from Kerala transplanted inside the body of a 21-year-old woman from Nepal.
It symbolised far more than a medical success. It marked a historic moment for India’s public healthcare system, as the Government General Hospital, Ernakulam, became the first district-level government hospital in the country to successfully perform a heart transplant.
The donor, S Shibu, a native of Kollam, had been undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, after suffering critical injuries in a road accident on December 14. On Saturday, doctors declared him brain-dead.
In an extraordinary act of compassion amid personal grief, Shibu’s family consented to cadaver organ donation, enabling multiple lives to be saved.
On Monday, a specialised medical team harvested Shibu’s heart in Thiruvananthapuram and transported it to Kochi via air ambulance in a tightly coordinated operation.
‘Awaiting the organ at Ernakulam was Durga Kami, a young woman battling a rare and life-threatening heart condition.
A Race Against Time
Durga Kami suffers from cardiac sarcoidosis, an uncommon but severe disease with a tragic family history — both her mother and elder sister had succumbed to the same illness.
Orphaned at the age of seven, she and her brother were raised at the Maya Sadan Orphanage in Nepal. In July this year, she travelled to Kerala seeking treatment after doctors warned she was at high risk of sudden cardiac death.
A medical board reviewing her case strongly recommended an urgent heart transplant, stating that she was medically unfit to travel long distances or return to Nepal.
Despite being placed on the transplant waiting list, delays in identifying a suitable donor pushed the family into deep uncertainty.
Left with no option, Durga approached the Kerala High Court, which, on December 11, directed the state health department to prioritise her application, given the immediacy of the threat to her life.
Public Healthcare at Its Best
The transplant surgery was carried out by an eight-member medical team at the Ernakulam General Hospital and was provided entirely free of cost.
The Kerala health department bore the full expense of the procedure, estimated at ₹12 lakh — a powerful statement on the state’s commitment to equitable, patient-centred healthcare.
Apart from the heart, several of Shibu’s organs — including kidneys, liver, skin and eyes — were retrieved and allocated to patients across different hospitals, extending the impact of one family’s decision to many lives.
Kerala Health Minister Veena George hailed the achievement in a social media post, calling it a moment of pride not just for the recipients but for the entire public health system.
Describing the surgery as a first-of-its-kind achievement for a district hospital anywhere in India, she paid tribute to the donor family for their selflessness and humanity.
Gratitude and Relief
Speaking to the media, Durga’s brother Thilak Kami expressed heartfelt gratitude to the Kerala government, doctors and hospital staff.
“We went to many places seeking help. It feels like destiny brought us here. Kerala stood by us when it mattered most,” he said.
The successful transplant stands as a landmark moment — not only restoring life to a young woman but also reaffirming Kerala’s reputation for strong secondary healthcare, ethical organ donation practices, and a public health system capable of delivering world-class outcomes.
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