Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, suffering from a kidney ailment, has been undergoing dialysis for the last one month.
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley’s kidney transplant surgery at AIIMS on Monday was successful, the hospital said, while adding that both the minister and his donor were recovering.
Dr Aarti Vij, chairperson of the media and protocol division said, “Shri Arun Jaitley, Hon’ble Minister of Finance and Corporate Affairs underwent renal transplant surgery today at AIIMS Delhi. The surgery has been successful. Both the recipient and donor and stable and recovering well.”
AIIMS sources maintained that the minister had been admitted to the hospital on Saturday and was taken to the operation theatre at 8am. According to sources, nephrologist Dr Sandeep Guleria of Apollo Hospital — the brother of AIIMS Director Randeep Guleria, a family friend — was part of the team performing the transplant.
The minister, who was suffering from a kidney ailment, has been undergoing dialysis for the last one month. The dialysis, doctors said, was necessitated to ensure that the build-up of wastes and toxins within the body was effectively removed.
Initially, doctors said, the surgery had been planned for April. However, the plan had to be aborted since his “chemical parameters”, particularly his existing diabetes made doctors decide to delay the surgery.
Jaitley had confirmed his illness in a tweet on April 6 and said, “I am being treated for kidney-related problems & certain infections that I have contracted,” he had tweeted.
Sources maintained that Jaitley had complained of respiratory distress in March, following which physicians asked for an X-ray of his lungs which yielded “no abnormalities”. Following the X-ray, doctors ordered an MRI that indicated the build-up of fluid in Jaitley’s lungs, an indication of kidney disease.