Varanasi: Despite PMO funding, man dies waiting for kidney transplant

A man from Varanasi, who received funding from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) for his kidney transplant, has died waiting for the surgery to take place.

The deceased, Santosh Kumar, used to live with four siblings, including his sister Rita, who was supposed to be the donor.

Rita had approached Prime Minister Narendra Modi's constituency office in Varanasi to seek financial assistance for the transplant surgery in February.

"My brother's both kidneys had become dysfunctional; we had to take my brother to Lucknow for the treatment. Every month I used to take him for the checkups. But the doctors did not listen to me and told me that we would only get a date for the transplant after one year. She asked me to get my brother's dialysis done. We told the doctor that we can't afford it, then the doctor said that she cannot help us," said Rita.

"I spoke to Laxmikant Bajpai, and he said that the date will be confirmed in two days. I got really happy that I will get a date in two days, but I could not get a date in two days and my brother passed away on the third day," she added.

Kumar had reportedly been undergoing treatment at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) in Lucknow since November 2014.

The PMO had deposited Rs 2.17 lakh into the bank account of SGPGI for the surgery.