Grande International Hospital (GIH) successfully undertook kidney transplantation in a 38-year old person of Kathmandu.

This is for the first time any private health institution inside the country has conducted the transplantation.

The Dhapasi-based hospital conducted the transplantation on Rabin Lama who got the kidney from his sister Uma Lama.

The operation was conducted by a team of surgeon led by Dr Prem Raj Gyawali, urologist; nephrology team led by Dr Dibya Singh Shah and anaesthesia team led by Dr Murari Raj Upreti.

"This is the expansion of services from government hospitals to private institutes," said Dr Singh.

On August 8, 2008, the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital (TUTH) had conducted first kidney transplantation in the country where both Dr Gyawali and Dr Singh were involved. The TUTH has so far conducted 377 kidney transplantations. Also, few months after TUTH, Bir Hospital also conducted the surgery.

According to Dr Gyawali, the patients are doing fine and they will be discharged in few days.

Dr Chakra Raj Pandey, Medical Director of GIH said the successful kidney transplantation in the hospital means that they will able to attract foreigners and be part of medical tourism.

The GIH has a team of expert legal committee which decides if the kidney donors are related and fall under the category set by the government. Only after this procedure is over, the doctors plan for surgery.

The GIH some two weeks back got the approval from Department of Health Services to conduct the renal transplantation.