As US Welcomes Breakthrough Surgery In Heart Transplant, Meet Dr. Dhani Ram Baruah Who Performed It 25 Yrs Ago

Guwahati:  A breakthrough surgery was conducted in the United States recently wherein a pig heart was transplanted into a human body. This incident evoked the memory of citizens who had heard of a similar operation taking place way back in 1997 in Assam.

Dr. Dhani Ram Baruah, an internationally recognized doctor, conducted a similar surgery of transplanting a pig's heart into a human recipient at his own facility in 1997 and it was completed within 15 years.

But unlike the case in the US, the patient in Assam died a week later due to an infection, drawing widespread anger against the doctor and tarnishing his image.

As a result, Dr. Dhani got arrested for murder within two weeks and was imprisoned for 40 days. He was arrested under the 1994 Organ Transplant Act.

An investigation had been carried out by the Assam government and  concluded that the procedure was unethical.

The investigation found that the Dhaniram Heart Institute and Research Center "did not apply for or obtain registration" as required by the Transplant Act.

The doctor found his clinic in shatters after returning from jail. He spent the next 18 months under house arrest according to reports.

However, these setbacks did not stop the doctor from pursuing his experiments and he continued with his research despite facing taunts.

Dr. Barua claimed that he had developed a "genetically engineered" vaccine to correct congenital heart disease in 2008.

He also claimed to have discovered a "cure" for HIV / AIDS in 2015 and further added that he cured 86 people in the past 7-8 years.

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