Durga Kami, the Nepal woman who underwent a heart transplant surgery in December at the Ernakulam General Hospital, passed away on Thursday. Durga, aka Arpana, suffered a respiratory failure on Thursday evening. Her condition worsened through the day, and death was declared at night due to cardio-respiratory arrest.
Noting that no amount of our hard work could bring her back to life, Health Minister Veena George confirmed the passing of the Nepal girl in a Facebook post on Thursday night. “Life support was removed the previous day, and she subsequently showed a return to normal condition. This had infused much hope. She had requested Dr. George Valuran to bring her books to read the next day,” she noted in the post.
The 21-year-old, who was under treatment at the hospital post-surgery, was taken off extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) support on Tuesday. Her guardian is en route from Nepal, and a decision regarding the handling of her mortal remains will be taken later, sources said. “Her lungs was also affected due to her inherent medical condition. Had it not been the case, the transplant would have been a success,” said medical sources.
The heart transplant was carried out in December at the General Hospital through a judicial intervention. Though Durga Kami was on the super-urgent heart transplant list as her condition could lead to fatal complications, as per the law, a foreign national figures last in the priority list of recipients. The law stipulates that Indian nationals requiring heart transplants should be given priority when donor hearts are allocated.
With the procedure, the Ernakulam General Hospital became the first district hospital in India to perform a heart transplant, according to the authorities.
Kami had been seeking medical treatment in India for close to a year for heart ailment.
Published – January 22, 2026 10:30 pm IST
