Mumbai’s 3rd hand transplant patient stable, family seeks financial help

Twenty-two-year-old Jagdev Singh who underwent a bilateral hand transplant procedure at the Global Hospital in Mumbai is in stable condition. The 12-hour long surgery concluded early on Saturday. Doctors said that Singh was still unconscious and that the procedure went well without any complications.

Twenty-two-year-old Jagdev Singh who underwent a bilateral hand transplant procedure at the Global Hospital in Mumbai is in stable condition. The 12-hour long surgery concluded early on Saturday. Doctors said that Singh was still unconscious and that the procedure went well without any complications.

Twenty-two-year-old Jagdev Singh who underwent a bilateral hand transplant procedure at the Global Hospital in Mumbai is in stable condition. The 12-hour long surgery concluded early on Saturday. Doctors said that Singh was still unconscious and that the procedure went well without any complications.

In January 2020, Singh, a native of Hanumangarh, Rajasthan was working with a borewell in their farm when he came in contact with a high-tension wire. He suffered severe burn injuries and had to be shifted to a hospital in Jaipur where his upper limbs and lower limbs both had to be amputated. Singh was a second-year Bachelor of Arts student then.

“He was an excellent kabaddi player,” said Singh’s brother-in-law Nirmal. “He hoped to get a government job to support his family after his education was completed,” he said.

It took nearly two months for Singh to be discharged from the Jaipur hospital. Soon after, his family came across the possibility of a hand transplant through an article on the internet. Early this year, Nirmal came to the Global Hospital to inquire about the possibility. Two months ago, he brought Singh along with him and registered him on the waiting list for the transplant.

“We received a call at around 5pm on Thursday about the possibility of hand donation. We did not waste any time to think and quickly started our journey,” said Nirmal. He travelled eight hours by road to reach Delhi and then took a flight for Mumbai. By Friday 8pm, Singh was in the operation theatre undergoing the procedure.

“The procedure went on smoothly,” said plastic surgeon Dr Nilesh Satbhai who led the team of doctors who conducted the procedure. This was the second such procedure to be carried out at the Global Hospital after train accident victim Monika More’s bilateral hand transplant in August 2020.

“This surgery was slightly different because we conducted one hand was transplanted above the elbow level and second was below the elbow. But overall, we were more prepared as we carried the experience of Monika More’s transplant with us,” said Satbhai, adding that Singh is likely to remain in the hospital for another four weeks.

After that, the doctors are likely to start a gradual rehabilitation programme. According to Satbhai, the cost of the procedure is estimated to be around ₹25 lakh. In addition to this, the patient will require immunosuppressants that cost anywhere between ₹2 lakh to ₹3 lakh a year.

“We are planning to sell off some property back home to manage some amount,” said Nirmal. “We are into farming. It will be difficult for us to arrange such a big amount. But we are also planning to start an online campaign to raise some funds,” he said.