Nephrology

History

The Division of Nephrology had its origin in the early 60's due to the foresight of the late Dr. P. Raghavan who could be deemed responsible for the establishment of an independent branch of Nephrology today. The Department of Medicine had received a gift of
an Alwall's hemodialysis machine through the Swedish philanthropist Mr.Alex Axison Johnson in 1962. Over the years and under
the guidance and efforts of Dr.Smt.V. N. Acharya and her band of dedicated workers which included Mr.Claud Lobo and Sr. Bagayatkar. The Division had many achievements that placed it among the premier divisions of the country. The dialysis unit
was among the first to provide this facility in the country and the first in the western region . The first cadaver renal transplant of the country was performed here from a non-beating heart donor. The division provided training for the postgraduate course in Nephrology of the National Academy of Medical Sciences .The division matured and became a full-fledged Department of the Seth GS Medical College providing training for the DM postgraduate course in Nephrology in the early 80's. Since then, the Department has been
training young nephrologists to provide service for the ailing renal patients .

The Birth & the Growth of the Division of Nephrology

The Division of Nephrology, conceived in 1962, came into being in the following year with the introduction of the Dialysis Unit. This brain-child of Prof. P. Raghavan, the then Professor & Head of the Department of Medicine has thenceforth not looked back. From humble beginnings, the division grew over the years with the introduction of newer dialysis systems to supplement the original
Alwall's kidney. The growth of the department was ensured through the induction of generous aid received from Rockefeller
Foundation, N.M. Wadia Charities and the Dr. P. V. Cherian Trust.

This division was headed by Dr. Ms. V.N. Acharya who had been hand-picked by Dr.Raghavan himself. She had trained in the
United Kingdom before she shouldered the responsibility of setting up the dialysis unit. The dialysis set up which had humble beginnings, was equipped periodically with state-of- the-art dialysis systems. The provision of dialysis services soon led to the possibility of renal transplantation. In May 1965, the first ever kidney transplant (a Cadaver kidney transplant) was performed at these institutions. Over the years, the department has progressed and has an active live related donor transplant programme and a newly established Cadaver Donor Transplant programme.

Realising the need for an academic programme that would cater to the growing needs of the ailing renal population, the division
sought and obtained the status of recognized training institute for the National Board of Examination in the sub-speciality of
Nephrology (1977). Thereafter, with the introduction of the D.M. degree in Nephrology in the University of Mumbai in 1986, this
division was recognized as a department which thereafter obtained the recognition of the Medical Council of India. As of date, the institution has produced and continues to produce nephrologists that have earned a name for themselves, both on the national
scene and abroad.