A 65 years old man resident of United States, who already had a had a bypass surgery, an angioplasty with coronary stents and a pacemaker, decided to come to India for a heart transplant but the doctors in his native country had discouraged him to do so.

They hold the view that Asian countries are lacking in medical facilities and they don’t have efficient doctors to perform the operation and claim that if he will went to India, he would not survive for sure.

Without considering the information provided by the doctors of his country, this man, Ronald Lemmer along with his wife took this step and flew to South India for his heart transplant surgery. And at last, he was attended by Apollo hospital in metro and he underwent a successful heart transplant surgery.

The person who has donated his heart was a 36 year old man from the outskirts of the city who died in the road accident.

After his successful surgery, he was interviewed where he mentioned that in America, there are two options available, the first choice is an artificial transplant and the second option is heart transplant but he mentioned that for second option, one has to wait for at least next one and half year or two because the queue of recipients for heart transplant is too long in America.

But Lemmer’s decided that they will not wait for so long and it is then when they read an article in Forbes magazine about the options available in India for organ transplant. There only the reference of Apollo hospital was mentioned and then they decided to come down to India this summer.

Lemmer reached India in May and registered himself at the transplant registry and waited for three long months till a heart was found that suits him. According to Dr Paul Ramesh, primary consultant cardiac surgeon, Apollo hospital, Indian laws does not give permission to an Indian doctor to transplant a heart to a foreigner recipient until there is no Indian recipient in the queue suiting the available heart.

So Lemmer was given heart when there was no Indian recipient waiting for the heart transplant and now doctors claim that he will survive for another 10-15 years with his new heart. Lemmer has to spend around $ 50,000 during his treatment.