Sarbeswar Sahariah

Sarbeswar Sahariah is an Indian nephrologist and organ transplant specialist, known for his expertise in renal and pancreatic transplantation. Sahariah is credited with more than 3000 renal transplantations, a hilly village in the district of Darrang, in the Himalayan state of Assam, India, on 1 April 1945. He did his early schooling at a local school and passed his higher secondary examinations from the Government High School in Mangaldai, in 1962, with the highest marks in the state for Biology. Opting for the medical career, he joined Medical College in Guwahati, as the Head of the centre as the Reader and Chief Renal Transplant Surgeon, in 1981, This was followed by the first kidney transplantation in Hyderabad, in 1981.

Sahariah's legacy lives on mainly in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where he has put in efforts for the propagation of renal transplantation programme. He was instrumental in initiating the programme across the state, including the Nizam's Institute of Medical Sciences and Gandhi Hospital and Medical College. He has founded a charitable organization, North East Care Foundation, which runs a free medical clinic in Guwahati. The clinic gives free medical consultation and supplies free drugs to patients in the region.

Research Sahariah has done research on organ transplantation. After undergoing training in Experimental Transplantation and Transplantation Immunology at the School of Medicine, Tokai University, Japan, under Professor K. Tanuji He has published his findings in many peer-reviewed journals.

Awards and recognitions The Government of India, in 2014, honoured Sahariah, by awarding him the civilian honour of Padma Shri. New Delhi - 1979 FICS - Fellowship of the International College of Surgeons FACS - Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons - 1983 Dr. Brahmaiah Sastry Memorial Oration Award - Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam - 2011 Dr. R. V. S. Yadav Memorial Oration Award - Indian Society of Organ Transplantation, Ludhiana - 2008

Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Wardha, Maharashtra, in 2000, honoured Sahariah by appointing him as the Professor Emeritus.

Publications Saharaiah has written a book, My Journey with Kidney Transplantation describing his life experiences during 1974 - 2004 period. The book was released at a felicitation function organized by the Indian Medical Association, Assam chapter. He has published several research papers in peer-reviewed journals. A random selection of his articles reads as: