AIIMS Rajkot launches corneal transplant service with emergency surgery
Rajkot: AIIMS Rajkot has performed its first corneal transplant, carrying out an emergency therapeutic procedure on a 65-year-old woman from Kodinar in Gir Somnath district, the institute said in a statement. The operation inaugurates specialised corneal transplantation services at the institute and aims to provide advanced ophthalmic care closer to home for patients from Saurashtra and neighbouring areas.
According to the institute, the patient had been suffering from infective keratitis for two months and did not respond adequately to medical therapy. With the infection beginning to cause extensive corneal damage, clinicians determined that a therapeutic corneal transplant was necessary to remove the infectious focus, preserve the anatomical integrity of the eye and improve the chances of saving vision.
The procedure was led by cornea specialists Dr Mamta Singh and Dr Kedar Nemiwant, assisted by Dr Savita, Dr Vishruti Trivedi, Dr Manish, Dr Amit and Dr Shivam, AIIMS Rajkot said. The donor cornea was provided with assistance from Dr Kamal Dodiya and his team at Rajkot Civil Hospital.
- Patient: 65-year-old woman from Kodinar (Gir Somnath).
- Condition: Infective keratitis, two-month history, not responsive to medication.
- Team: Led by cornea specialists Dr Mamta Singh and Dr Kedar Nemiwant; donor tissue facilitated by Rajkot Civil Hospital team.
"The infection did not respond adequately to medication and had begun causing extensive damage to the cornea," AIIMS Rajkot said in a statement.
The launch of corneal transplant services at AIIMS Rajkot represents an important addition to tertiary eye care capacity in the region. Until now, patients from Saurashtra requiring corneal grafts often travelled to Ahmedabad, Mumbai or other metropolitan centres for surgery and follow-up. Local availability can reduce travel burdens, lower out-of-pocket costs and shorten delays in receiving sight-saving interventions.
| Service element | Detail |
|---|---|
| Procedure performed | Therapeutic corneal transplant |
| Primary surgical team | Dr Mamta Singh, Dr Kedar Nemiwant |
| Supporting institutions | Rajkot Civil Hospital (donor cornea assistance) |
| Target region | Saurashtra and nearby areas |
AIIMS Rajkot said it plans to broaden advanced ophthalmic services and to promote awareness about eye donation. Strengthening eye-banking links and public awareness campaigns will be critical if the centre is to provide sustained corneal transplant coverage; donor tissue availability is often the limiting factor for corneal graft programmes nationwide.
For Rajkot and the surrounding districts, establishing such services at a central government institute may also carry ancillary benefits: enhanced training opportunities for young ophthalmologists, improved diagnostic and microbiology support for severe ocular infections, and more structured follow-up for graft survival and visual rehabilitation.
Given the prevalence of infectious keratitis in rural and semi-urban settings—often arising from agricultural trauma, delayed presentation or inadequate initial treatment—local access to surgical interventions could reduce permanent vision loss among older and working-age patients. AIIMS Rajkot did not provide further clinical outcome details for the patient, but said the transplant was performed to remove the infection and preserve the eye.
As the institute expands services, continued coordination with district hospitals and civil eye banks will be essential to building a reliable pipeline of donor tissue and ensuring equitable access across Saurashtra. AIIMS Rajkot's statement indicates an institutional intent to develop both surgical capacity and public outreach on eye donation.
This first corneal transplant at AIIMS Rajkot underlines a step forward in regional tertiary care, with implications for patient convenience, health-system capacity and local training in ophthalmology.
