LUCKNOW, May 9 -- The executive council of the King George's Medical University (KGMU) has approved the first five heart transplants to be conducted free of cost to benefit economically weaker patients. The decision was approved during the meeting held on Friday. KGMU spokesperson Prof KK Singh said the cardiovascular and thoracic surgery department has already secured the licence required for heart transplants and all essential infrastructure, equipment and trained manpower are in place. According to officials, a heart transplant costs nearly Rs.1 crore in private hospitals, while the procedure in government institutions can be performed at around Rs.12-15 lakh. KGMU is yet to finalise the charges for the procedure, but the first five transplants will be carried out entirely free of cost. The council also cleared long-pending employee standardisation-related demands and approved measures aimed at resolving staff grievances. htc...