Chandigarh, Sept. 6 -- For organ failure patients in North India, the system seems to fail them more than their bodies do. With the region having just 20 government-run facilities that are licensed to carry out organ transplants, and the long waiting period, patients are forced to go for treatment at private hospitals, which make them pay through the nose. For perspective, a kidney transplant surgery at a government facility like Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) costs around Rs.2-2.5 lakh while private hospitals charge nearly Rs.6 lakh (140% higher). A heart transplant at PGIMER costs about Rs.8 lakh, compared to Rs.12-15 lakh (50-87% more) at private hospitals. In all, there are 78 licensed organ transplants to cater to Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan and the two UTs of Chandigarh and Jammu & Kashmir. Out of these 58 (74%) are private. Among the government facilities, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda, the sole licensed government centre in Punjab, has not carried out a single transplant last year, while the transplant facility at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, is inactive as per government records. This puts the entire burden of treatment on the remaining 18 centres. Punjab's principal secretary, health, Kumar Rahul, said the lack of specialised doctors is the main reason why Punjab has recorded zero transplants in the last one year. "Organ transplants require super specialisation and for such posts, the government has advertised numerous times but doctors are not willing to come at the given salary," he said. Rahul added, "We are trying to get nephrologists for kidney transplants at least on a visiting time basis and are in constant talk with PGIMER for thesame." As per government data, the private sector in Punjab performed 616 kidney and five liver transplants in 2024 (see box). In Chandigarh, 301 kidney transplants were performed, all at PGIMER, catering largely to patients from neighbouring states. In organ failure cases, a transplant is usually the best way out but low organ donation rates and high cost at private hospitals remain a hurdle. Dr Ashish Sharma, the head of renal transplant surgery at PGIMER, reveals that the waiting time for a kidney transplant surgery is around five to six years - patients are provided with dialysis during the waiting period. In the case of other organs, such as heart or pancreas, patients often do not survive long enough due to lack of alternatives. In Haryana, additional chief secretary, health, Sudhir Rajpal, said, "Haryana government is making efforts to improve infrastructure and capacity building of human resources at district civil hospitals and also improve the awareness and perception in the state." In Himachal, director medical education, Rakesh Sharma said, "We are improving our facilities. Dr Rajendra Prasad Government Medical College and Hospital has started performing transplant surgeries this year and IGMC stopped midway but it would be able to resume transplants in the next three months."...