CHANDIGARH/SAS NAGAR, December 9:
Marking a transformative leap in tertiary healthcare, the Bhagwant Singh Mann-led Punjab Government has scripted history with the successful conduct of the first liver transplant surgery at a state-run institute Punjab Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (PILBS) in Mohali.
Presenting the successfully operated patient to the media on Tuesday, Punjab Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education and Research Minister Dr Balbir Singh, stated that this is the first time in Punjab’s medical history that such a delicate and complex surgery has been accomplished successfully in a government institute. The Minister was accompanied by Principal Secretary Health Kumar Rahul.
He highlighted that this lifesaving intervention was provided to the patient at approximately Rs 12 lakhs, which costs around Rs 45-50 lakhs at the private hospitals. The transplant was performed on November 27, 2025, and the recipient is recovering well, expected to be discharged in a day or two, he added.
Congratulating the medical team led by Director of PILBS and Professor & Head of Hepatology Dr Virendra Singh and Professor & Head of Liver Transplant and Hepatobiliary Surgery Dr K Rajasekhar, the Health Minister termed this a major milestone for the institute.
Dr Balbir Singh also expressed profound gratitude to the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education & Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, for providing the organ from a brain-dead person from Haryana. He also extended heartfelt thanks to the donor’s family for their exemplary act of organ donation, which has given a new lease of life to multiple individuals.
He said that the PILBS continues to expand its role as Punjab’s first dedicated liver and biliary sciences centre, offering comprehensive care, advanced procedures, and 24×7 emergency and ICU services. An upcoming 175-bedded patient care block is also in the pipeline, further expanding the Institute’s capacity and services, he added.
He said that the newly built Diagnostic Block is now operational with the installation of a Digital Subtraction Angiography (DSA) machine. The supply order for new CT scanner has already been placed, while, the tender process for a new MRI is in progress, and a new automated biochemistry analyser will be fully functional within one week. A state-of-the-art blood bank has also been established, which will be one of the most advanced in Punjab.
The Institute remains committed to becoming a world-class centre for clinical excellence, research, and training in hepatobiliary sciences.
The Minister emphasised that the CM Bhagwant Singh Mann led Government is systematically equipping all Government Medical Colleges with secondary and tertiary care facilities, including existing neuro and cardio labs.
He announced that Government Medical College, Patiala, is set to become the first state-run facility to offer renal transplantation by the coming year, he said, while adding that furthermore, all government medical colleges will soon be established as organ receiving centres.
Appealing to the public to pledge for organ donation, Dr Balbir Singh noted that Punjab, currently ranked 9th nationally with 20,000 registered donors, is poised to be among the top states in the country soon.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to free treatment for all, the Health Minister said that Punjab Government has finalised the agencies for implementing the Rs 10 lakh cashless treatment under Mukh Mantri Sehat Bima Yojna and it will be formally launched across the state in January 2026.
