Crossing religious divide: Hindu, Muslim men donate kidneys to each other's wives

Jaipur: In a unique example of friendship across religious lines, a Hindu and a Muslim man donated their kidneys to the other’s wife.

According to a report, in a private hospital in Jaipur, Rajasthan, two kidney transplants reportedly took place. A Hindu man donated his kidney for a Muslim woman, whose husband, in turn, donated his kidney to the former’s wife.

Doctors at the hospital claim that this is first instance in the state where people from different religions have donated kidneys to each other.

Hasanpur resident Anita Mehra was suffering from glomerular disease for the past few years leading to kidney failure, while Tasleem Jahan’s kidney had failed due to excessive use of pain killers. Mehra’s blood group was B positive while the Jahan’s was A positive. Also, Mehra’s husband had A positive blood while Jahan’s husband was B positive.

Only close relatives are allowed to donate kidneys by law, but for kidney swaps this is not the case. The doctors at the hospital decided to convince the husbands to do a kidney swap.

After a counseling session, both families agreed to the arrangement. The surgery was conducted on September 2 and was a success.

“I will celebrate this Eid-ul-Adha with more fervour this year, all thanks to Vinod. He has given his kidney to my wife,” Tasleem’s husband Ahmed was quoted as saying. Mehra reportedly said, “If it is Eid-Ul-Azha for Ahmed, it is no less than Diwali for me”.