New Delhi: AIIMS Bhubaneswar has taken a major step forward in advanced healthcare by starting its Liver Transplant Programme and robotic surgery services which was virtually launched by Union Health Minister JP Nadda recently.
With this, the institute has joined the group of leading tertiary care centres in India offering highly specialised and complex treatments.
The new liver transplant facility is a big relief for patients in Odisha and neighbouring States such as West Bengal, Jharkhand, Bihar and Assam. Until now, many patients with serious liver disease had to travel to big cities like Delhi, Chennai or Hyderabad for transplant surgery.
This often meant high travel costs, long stays away from home and emotional stress for families. With the service now available in Bhubaneswar, patients can receive treatment closer to home and stay connected to their support systems.
Nadda called it a historic moment in the growth of AIIMS Bhubaneswar. He said the launch of the liver transplant programme supports Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s call to promote organ donation as a people’s movement and to expand access to advanced healthcare through strong public hospitals.
For patients suffering from end-stage liver disease, this programme could be life-changing. Liver transplantation is often the only treatment option in advanced cases. Having this facility in the eastern region will improve access and reduce delays in treatment.
Officials said the liver transplant services will be covered under major government schemes such as Ayushman Bharat–Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) and the Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi. This means that poor and vulnerable patients can receive expensive transplant surgery and follow-up care without facing heavy financial burden. High costs have long been a major barrier to organ transplantation in India.
To support the programme, AIIMS Bhubaneswar has set up a dedicated transplant operation theatre and a modern intensive care unit with advanced monitoring systems. A special outpatient clinic has also been created to ensure regular follow-up and long-term care after the transplant.
The launch of robotic surgery services is another important milestone. AIIMS Bhubaneswar has become the first government hospital in Odisha to introduce a full robotic surgery programme. Robotic surgery allows doctors to perform operations with greater precision. It involves smaller cuts, less blood loss, reduced pain after surgery and shorter hospital stays. Patients usually recover faster and can return to normal life sooner.
In the first phase, robotic surgery will be introduced in Urology, Gynaecology and Paediatric Surgery. The hospital plans to expand the service to other departments in the future as more doctors are trained and more cases are handled.
Over the past few years, AIIMS Bhubaneswar has steadily expanded its advanced medical services. It already performs kidney and bone marrow transplants. With the addition of liver transplantation, the institute now offers multiple organ transplant services, placing it among a select group of government hospitals in the country.
Aparajita Sarangi, Member of Parliament, Odisha emphasized that AIIMS Bhubaneswar has emerged as a role model for other AIIMS institutions, consistently achieving new milestones in healthcare delivery, medical education, and research.
She stated that the inauguration of advanced transplant and robotic surgery facilities reflects a decisive shift towards innovation-driven, technology-enabled, and patient-centric public healthcare, aligned with the Prime Minister’s vision of world-class healthcare for all.
Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava said that the transplant services under PM-JAY and Rashtriya Arogya Nidhi will ensure that no patient is denied life-saving care due to lack of money. She also noted that this year is being observed as “Angdaan Jeevan Sanjeevani Abhiyaan,” promoting organ donation across the country. The new transplant unit, she said, would act as a “Jeevan Sanjeevani” for many patients.
Dr. Anita Saxena, President, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, Ankita Mishra Bundela, Joint Secretary, Union Health Ministry were also present on the occasion while Dr. Ashutosh Biswas, Executive Director, AIIMS Bhubaneswar and the team of AIIMS Bhubaneswar joined the event online from the institute.
