SWAT: After Peshawar, the provincial capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where renal transplants were started in 2017, Swat became the second district of the province to start procedures for patients, who banked on regular dialysis for staying alive.
A 21-year-old woman donated kidney to her elder brother, whose both kidneys had got damaged, in the first-ever procedure in Swat conducted by transplant surgeon Dr Ubaidur Rehman. The patient belongs to adjacent Buner.
“The patient had been in critical condition and several hospitals had declined to perform the complex operation,” Dr Ubaid said. The procedure was conducted, after approval of Khyber Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority, at Luqman International Hospital in Saidu Sharif on Sunday.
Kubra, the resident of Buner district, donated kidney to her brother Pam Dil, whose both kidneys were damaged, and he lived on dialysis. Both the donor and recipient are in stable condition.
Experts say about 8,000 patients suffer from kidney diseases in Malakand division
Dr Ubaid said that the life-saving transplant, using advanced surgical techniques and modern medical facilities, was completed in three hours.
Dr Zahidullah, an expert, said that kidney diseases had become an alarming public health concern in Malakand division where an estimated 8,000 patients were suffering from various renal disorders.
“Until now, patients requiring kidney transplantation had to travel to Peshawar, Lahore or Karachi, placing a heavy financial, physical, and emotional burden on families,” he said.
He said that availability of kidney transplant services in Swat would enable patients in Malakand division and adjoining districts to receive world-class treatment closer to home.
Speaking after the surgery, Kubra said that donating her kidney was an easy decision because of the deep love she had for her brother. “I love my brother very much and could not bear to see him suffering. All I wanted was to see him healthy, smiling and living a normal life again. If my kidney could give him a second chance at life, there was no greater happiness for me,” she said.
An emotional Pam Dil described himself as the luckiest brother in the world. “Allah has blessed me with such a caring sister. I will never forget her sacrifice and will remain grateful to her for the rest of my life,” he said.
Medical experts believe that the development would open a new chapter in organ transplantation and significantly improve access to life-saving treatment for thousands of kidney patients in the region.
Published in Dawn, July 27th, 2026
