Abdul Rahim, a 30-year-old military captain from Afghanistan, who lost both his hands in battle, successfully went through a transplant surgery in Kochi and now has an Indian pair of hands according to latest news reports.
Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, which carried out the rare surgery, claims it is the first ever successful twin-hand transplant involving an Afghan national and the second in a year completed by their institute.
Rahim, who lost his hands while defusing mines in combat three years ago, approached the Kochi institute about five months ago after spending years in search of donors and doctors in other countries.
The transplant was reportedly carried out by more than 20 surgeons in a procedure that lasted nearly 15 hours.
“Rahim has regained considerable amount of function of both his hands using them for day-to-day activities. He will need intensive physiotherapy for another 9 to 10 months, for which he will have to stay back in Kochi,” Subramania Iyer, the institute’s Head of the Plastic Surgery department told PTI.
The report further states that the donor was a 54-year-old brain dead accident victim from Kerala.
A heartwarming and proud achievement for Kochi and for our country, the feat also marks a landmark moment in terms of India’s development in the field of medical sciences.
