BK Singh
Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh’s second-largest city after Lucknow, is finally seeing the beginnings of a long-overdue healthcare revolution.
Swaroop Rani Nehru (SRN) Hospital, a cornerstone of government healthcare in eastern UP, is gearing up to launch a kidney transplant department—a facility that residents have desperately needed for years but never had access to.
A three-member technical team recently inspected the PMSSY (Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana) building, where a kidney transplant unit has been established. This inspection signals a crucial step forward, but for many, hope is mixed with scepticism.
While Gorakhpur boasts an AIIMS, Raebareli has an AIIMS, and Lucknow houses the prestigious SGPGI and KGMC
Prayagraj—a city that serves not only its own massive population but also patients pouring in from neighbouring districts and even Madhya Pradesh—still lacks this lifesaving facility.
For years, families have been forced to travel hundreds of kilometres to access advanced treatment, a journey often too long for critically ill patients.
The kidney transplant initiative was envisioned one and a half years ago under the leadership of then-Principal Dr. S. P. Singh, but its implementation has been slow. Even now, the facility awaits a final green signal from authorities before services can begin.
A Tale of Neglect and Unrealised Promises
Government announcements about “upgrading” the city’s medical college have become familiar headlines, but SRN’s reality tells a different story:
- Senior doctors are often seen only for a couple of hours on campus, leaving junior staff to manage heavy patient loads.
- Critical machines requiring repairs lie idle for months, leaving patients in limbo.
- Medical equipment shortages are a constant struggle, crippling efforts to deliver specialised care.
For Prayagraj’s residents, the contrast is stark. The city, a historical hub with a growing population, lags far behind in advanced healthcare infrastructure compared to other regions in the state.
SRN, despite being one of UP’s biggest government hospitals, is overburdened with chronic patients—and many fear the new transplant centre may meet the same fate as other ambitious projects: delayed, under-resourced, and struggling to cope with demand.
The Human Cost
On any given day, the hospital corridors are packed with patients, some from far-off corners of Madhya Pradesh, others from remote villages across eastern UP.
For them, SRN remains the only hope. “We hear about AIIMS and PGI, but those places feel like another world,” says a relative of a dialysis patient waiting for care. “If this transplant centre starts working properly, it will save countless lives.”
But hopes have been dashed before. SRN’s persistent staffing gaps, administrative apathy, and equipment shortages have often turned grand announcements into hollow promises.
A Crucial Test for Prayagraj’s Healthcare Future
The kidney transplant unit at SRN could transform the city’s healthcare landscape and establish Prayagraj as a true medical hub for eastern Uttar Pradesh. Yet, time alone will reveal whether this bold step is followed by meaningful action—or whether it becomes yet another symbolic gesture in a city long starved of advanced care.
As patients continue to throng the hospital gates, the urgency is clear: Prayagraj needs this facility not next year, not next month, but now.
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