Key points
- Send reports on WhatsApp (+91 70420 39420) before travelling; many questions can be answered before the first trip.
- Bring original scan images, not just reports, plus all discharge summaries and a medicine list.
- Plan accommodation for three people — patient, donor and at least one healthy caregiver — near the hospital on the EM Bypass.
- Expect to stay near Kolkata for several weeks after surgery; after that, blood reports can be reviewed remotely with visits at intervals.
Why families from the region come to Kolkata
Kolkata is connected by direct trains and flights to most state capitals and many district towns of eastern and north-eastern India. For many families the journey is shorter than travelling to Delhi, Mumbai or the southern cities, and staying longer for recovery is easier on a household that must also keep work and school going at home. The food, climate and, for many, the language are familiar.
Dr Bappaditya Har is a liver transplant and HPB surgeon at Narayana RN Tagore Hospital, Mukundapur, Kolkata, working with hepatologists, transplant anaesthetists, intensivists and transplant coordinators. The team sees patients with liver failure, cirrhosis, liver tumours and bile duct and pancreatic diseases, including children needing a paediatric liver transplant.
Before you leave home
- 1
Send reports on WhatsApp
Share photos or PDFs of recent reports on +91 70420 39420 with the patient's age, weight, main problem and medicines. The team can advise whether a transplant evaluation is needed now, which tests are missing, and how urgently to travel.
- 2
Collect the right documents
Blood tests (CBC, LFT, INR, creatinine, sodium, blood group), hepatitis B and C markers, ultrasound, CT or MRI with the images on CD or a download link, endoscopy reports and every hospital discharge summary.
- 3
Think about a donor early
Most liver transplants in India are living donor transplants. Identify which close relatives are willing, healthy and of a suitable blood group, and read who can be a liver donor.
- 4
Gather identity and relationship papers
Aadhaar, voter ID, birth and marriage certificates and family documents for the patient and donor. The hospital's authorisation committee must approve every living donation under the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act, and mismatched names cause delays.
- 5
Look at finances and eligibility
Speak to your employer, insurer and state health department about what support you may be eligible for, and ask the hospital's desk about documentation. See liver transplant cost.
Do not delay travel for paperwork if the patient is very unwell
Confusion or drowsiness, vomiting blood or black stools, deepening jaundice, fever with a swollen abdomen or very little urine need hospital care immediately — at the nearest capable hospital first. Very sick patients should travel only after being stabilised, and by the safest available transport.
Planning the stay for patient, donor and caregiver
Narayana RN Tagore Hospital is on the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass in Mukundapur. Many families rent a furnished flat or guest house nearby — Mukundapur, Kalikapur, Ajoy Nagar, Santoshpur and other areas along the Bypass — for easy access to follow-up clinics and emergency care. A place with a kitchen is useful, since freshly cooked home food is advised after transplant.
| Who | What to plan for |
|---|---|
| Patient | Evaluation, then roughly 2–3 weeks in hospital after surgery, then frequent clinic visits and blood tests while staying nearby |
| Donor | Evaluation and legal approval, about a week in hospital, then rest; usually needs help at home for the first few weeks — see donor surgery and recovery |
| Caregiver | At least one healthy adult, ideally two, who can take turns — someone must manage medicines, food, hospital visits and the donor's needs |
It helps if one family member at home handles work, school and finances, so the caregivers in Kolkata can focus on recovery.
How long you may need to stay after surgery
Every recovery is different, but as a general guide families commonly stay near the hospital for about two to three months from surgery before returning home for good. The first weeks carry the highest risk of rejection, infection and bile or blood-vessel problems, and tests are needed frequently while medicine doses are adjusted. Donors usually recover faster and may return home earlier if the team agrees.
Patients who develop complications, or who had a transplant for acute liver failure after a very sick admission, may need longer. The day-by-day picture is described in recovery after liver transplant.
Follow-up with your local doctor
- Regular blood tests — liver function and anti-rejection medicine levels — can be done at a reliable laboratory near home. Send the reports on WhatsApp so the team can review them and advise on dose changes.
- A local physician or gastroenterologist should know the patient's history and be the first point of contact for minor illness, in contact with the transplant team.
- Planned visits to Kolkata at intervals, especially in the first year, and whenever a scan or procedure is needed.
- Medicines — always carry spare supply when travelling, and never switch brands or stop anti-rejection medicines without advice.
Long-term matters such as diet, infections, vaccinations, work and pregnancy are covered in life after liver transplant. A new fever, jaundice, diarrhoea, reduced urine or pain over the liver after transplant should be treated as urgent: go to your nearest good hospital and inform the transplant team the same day.
Government schemes and financial support
Central and state governments, employers and insurers offer various forms of support for serious illness, and some families receive help from charitable trusts. Eligibility, coverage and the hospitals included differ between schemes and change over time, so check directly with the relevant scheme office or your state health department, and ask the hospital which documents they can provide for an application. The liver transplant cost page explains what the cost of a transplant usually covers.
Frequently asked questions
Can Dr Har review reports before we travel from Bihar or Assam?
Yes. Send the reports on WhatsApp to +91 70420 39420. The team can advise whether a transplant evaluation is likely needed, which tests are missing and how urgently to come.
Which scans should we bring to Kolkata?
Bring the latest ultrasound and any CT or MRI of the abdomen with the actual images on CD or a download link, not only the written report, plus endoscopy reports, blood tests and all discharge summaries.
How long will the family need to stay in Kolkata?
Including evaluation, surgery and early recovery, families commonly stay for around two to three months, though this varies with the patient's recovery and any complications.
Can follow-up be done from home after a liver transplant?
After the first few months, much of the routine follow-up — blood tests and medicine level checks — can be done locally with the reports sent to the team for review, combined with planned visits to Kolkata.
Are government health schemes accepted for liver transplant?
It depends on the scheme, the state and the hospital. Check your eligibility with the scheme office or state health department and ask the hospital which documents they can provide.
Who can be a donor for a patient from our state?
The same rules apply everywhere in India: usually a near relative in good health with a suitable blood group, approved by the hospital's authorisation committee under THOTA.
Related reading
Living Donor Liver Transplant →
A family member donates part of their liver; both recover.
Liver Transplant Evaluation: Who Needs It, MELD Scores and the Tests →
Who needs a liver transplant, what MELD and PELD scores mean, the tests in a transplant work-up, reasons transplant may not be possible, and what to bring.
Recovery After a Liver Transplant: From Theatre to the First Three Months →
What recovery after a liver transplant looks like: ICU and ward days, drains, hospital stay, discharge, early blood tests, complications and when to call.
Who Can Be a Liver Donor? Eligibility, Tests and the Legal Process in India →
Living liver donor eligibility in India — age, blood group, BMI, fatty liver, liver size — the donor tests, THOTA approval and the right to withdraw.
Liver Transplant Cost in Kolkata →
What drives the cost and how families plan for it.
This page is general patient information, not a diagnosis or a substitute for a consultation. Treatment decisions depend on each patient's reports and examination. Read our medical disclaimer and editorial policy.