Mumbai’s First Paediatric Heart Transplant at a Public Hospital

In a significant milestone for paediatric cardiac care, Bai Jerbai Wadia Hospital for Children in Parel, Mumbai, has performed its first paediatric heart transplant. The surgery has given 17-year-old Tanmay Shinde a new chance at life and marks the hospital’s first heart transplant since it received its cardiac transplant licence in 2024. The hospital already performs paediatric kidney and liver transplants. However, this successful heart transplant represents an important step forward in its efforts to treat children with severe cardiac conditions.

Tanmay, the son of a BEST bus conductor, was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy in December 2015. This condition weakens and enlarges the heart muscle, reducing its ability to pump blood effectively. Over time, he developed severe heart failure, and medication could no longer improve his condition. During the 12 months before his transplant, Tanmay experienced persistent chest pain, breathlessness and fatigue. Frequent hospital visits also disrupted his education, costing him a year in college. In December 2025, his condition deteriorated significantly, and his family brought him to Wadia Hospital in a critical state. After assessing his condition, doctors concluded that a heart transplant offered the only viable treatment option.