ILBS 10th Convocation: Dr SK Sarin urges Ayushman Bharat cover for liver transplantation
VC Dr SK Sarin
New Delhi: Calling for greater financial support for patients with end-stage liver disease, the Director of the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), Prof Dr Shiv Kumar Sarin, urged Union Health Minister Shri JP Nadda to bring liver transplantation under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
Dr Sarin made the request while addressing the 10th Convocation of the ILBS in New Delhi. He stressed that extending the scheme's coverage to liver transplants would improve access to life-saving treatment and benefit lakhs of patients across the country.
He described the convocation as a milestone representing "10 generations of liver specialists," including physicians, surgeons, nurses and technicians trained by the university.
Highlighting India's growing burden of liver disease, Dr Sarin said nearly one in three Indians has fatty liver disease, which significantly contributes to diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, cancer and kidney disease. Stressing the need for greater attention to liver health, he noted that ILBS treated over 1,00,070 liver patients and managed nearly 10,800 liver emergencies in 2025.
He further stated that the institute has performed 1,392 liver transplants, including 162 in 2025, averaging one transplant every two days, and remains the country's largest government-run liver transplant centre. ILBS also achieved Asia's first Donation after Cardiac Death (DCD) liver transplant and has completed 372 kidney transplants, nearly 29% of which benefited patients from economically weaker sections (EWS).
Addressing Union Health Minister Shri J.P. Nadda during the convocation, Dr Sarin noted that while kidney transplantation is fully covered under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, liver transplantation remains outside its ambit despite being a life-saving procedure. He said extending the scheme to cover liver transplantation would be a landmark decision, as lakhs of patients across the country require liver transplants but are unable to access treatment because of its high cost. Bringing liver transplantation under Ayushman Bharat, he said, would significantly improve affordability and access to care, ultimately saving countless lives.
Dr Sarin also highlighted ILBS' academic and research advancements, stating that the institute has established India's first full-time Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning faculty at a medical institute. He added that ILBS has developed a 6.5-million-sample national liver disease biobank, new super-speciality programmes, and over 230 high-impact research publications supported by research funding exceeding Rs 45 crore in 2025.
He further outlined the institute's expanding public health outreach, noting that the Swasth Yakrit Mission, which focuses on raising awareness, early screening and prevention of liver-related conditions, has screened over 1.5 crore people across 52 districts of Madhya Pradesh, while liver clinics have been established in all 33 districts of Rajasthan. More than 41,700 students have also been screened under the Wise Miles programme.
He also urged the Union Health Ministry to launch the proposed National Fat Liver Reduction Initiative (NEFRI) to help curb the country's growing burden of non-communicable diseases.
Looking ahead, he said ILBS plans to expand skilled nursing and paramedical training, establish innovation hubs and satellite centres, while Dr Sarin encouraged graduating students to continue advancing research, innovation and compassionate liver care.
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