If a doctor in Lagos, Nairobi or Addis Ababa has told your family that a liver transplant is the only option left, you are probably facing two hard facts at once. Very few hospitals in your country perform the operation, and the ones abroad that do can cost more than a house. India is where thousands of families in that position end up, because its liver transplant surgeons are some of the most experienced in the world and the total bill is a fraction of what the UK, US or Gulf would charge.
This guide names 10 of the most experienced liver transplant surgeons in India, what each one is known for, and what the full trip looks like for patients from Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Kenya, Ghana and Mauritius.
Quick answer
| Question | Short answer |
|---|---|
| Cost of a liver transplant in India | USD 22,000 to 34,000 for a living donor transplant package; longer ICU stays can push it towards USD 45,000 |
| Success rate at top centres | 90 to 95 percent one-year survival |
| Time in hospital | 3 to 4 weeks for the patient, 1 to 2 weeks for the donor |
| Total time in India | 6 to 8 weeks |
| Donor | Usually a close relative who travels with you |
| Where most surgeons are based | Delhi NCR (Delhi, Gurugram, Noida), with one leading centre in Chennai |
| Visa | e-Medical visa if your nationality is eligible, otherwise a regular medical visa; the donor travels on a medical attendant visa |
For the full price breakdown, see our page on liver transplant cost in India.
How We Chose These 10 Surgeons
A list like this is only useful if you know what it is based on. We looked at five things, in this order:
- Transplant volume. Every surgeon here has performed or led well over 1,500 major liver operations, most of them transplants. Volume matters because complications after a transplant are rarer in units that do several every week.
- Living donor experience. Almost every patient who travels from Africa brings a family donor. We only included surgeons whose programmes are built around living donor liver transplant (LDLT), including donor safety.
- Hospital standard. Each surgeon operates at a hospital with JCI and/or NABH accreditation, a dedicated transplant ICU and an international patient desk.
- Experience with foreign patients. All 10 work in hospitals with established international patient programmes, so the paperwork for foreign donors is routine there.
- Remote review before travel. Each team will review reports sent from abroad and give a written opinion and cost estimate before you book a flight.
The numbering below is not a ranking of skill. Any of these surgeons can be the right choice; the best one for you depends on your diagnosis, your donor and which city suits your family. You can compare their hospitals on our best hospitals for organ transplant in India page.
The Top 10 Liver Transplant Surgeons in India (2026)
| # | Surgeon | Hospital and city | Reported experience | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dr Arvinder Singh Soin | Medanta, Gurugram | 2,500+ liver transplants | Padma Shri, India’s largest programme |
| 2 | Dr Subhash Gupta | Max Saket, New Delhi | 3,500+ liver transplants | Pioneer of living donor transplant in India |
| 3 | Dr Vivek Vij | Fortis, Noida | 2,500+ with his team | Donor safety, low biliary complications |
| 4 | Dr Ankur Garg | Paras Health, Gurugram | 4,500+ liver transplants | ABO-incompatible and acute liver failure |
| 5 | Dr Neerav Goyal | Indraprastha Apollo, New Delhi | 1,800+ liver transplants | Deceased donor and paediatric cases |
| 6 | Dr Abhideep Chaudhary | BLK-Max, New Delhi | 2,000+ HPB and transplant surgeries | Robotic donor surgery, liver-kidney transplant |
| 7 | Dr Giriraj Bora | Artemis, Gurugram | 2,000+ liver transplants | Laparoscopic and robotic donor surgery |
| 8 | Dr Mohamed Rela | Rela Hospital, Chennai | 4,500+ liver transplants | Children and infants |
| 9 | Dr Sanjay Goja | Narayana, Gurugram | 2,500+ (third-party reports) | Robotic liver surgery |
| 10 | Dr Selvakumar Naganathan | Park Hospital, Gurugram | 2,000+ liver surgeries | Liver cancer and paediatric transplant |
Transplant numbers are as published by the surgeons, their hospitals or their profiles. They are career totals, not a measure of results.
1. Dr Arvinder Singh Soin, Medanta The Medicity, Gurugram
Dr Soin is Chairman of the Institute of Liver Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine at Medanta The Medicity, which runs India’s largest liver transplant programme. He trained at AIIMS New Delhi and in the UK at Addenbrooke’s, Cambridge, and holds FRCS from both Edinburgh and Glasgow.
He led India’s first successful deceased donor liver transplant in 1998 and the country’s early live donor transplants in 1999 and 2000. His career total is more than 2,500 liver transplants, and his team reports around 95 percent success. He received the Padma Shri in 2010.
Best for: complex adult cases, liver cancer with cirrhosis, and families who want the highest-volume unit in the country. View Dr Soin’s profile.
2. Dr Subhash Gupta, Max Super Speciality Hospital, Saket
Dr Gupta chairs the Centre for Liver and Biliary Sciences at Max Saket, one of the busiest transplant units in the world at around 200 liver transplants a year. With over 40 years in surgery and more than 3,500 liver transplants, he is widely credited with building living donor liver transplant in India.
Before Max, he founded the liver programme at Indraprastha Apollo, which ran from 2006 to 2016. He has treated patients from across South and Central Asia and has helped set up transplant centres in other countries.
Best for: difficult living donor cases, ABO-incompatible transplants and complex bile duct and pancreas surgery. View Dr Gupta’s profile.
3. Dr Vivek Vij, Fortis Hospital, Noida
Dr Vij is Chairman of Liver Transplant and Hepato-Biliary Sciences at Fortis Hospital Noida and also operates at Fortis Memorial Research Institute, Gurugram. His team has done more than 2,500 liver transplants and reports a 97 percent patient success rate with a 100 percent donor safety record.
He was the first surgeon from the Indian subcontinent to publish a series on laparoscopic donor surgery in the journal Liver Transplantation, and his unit reports a biliary complication rate under 6 percent. Bile leaks and strictures are the most common reason patients go back into hospital after a transplant, so this number matters.
Best for: families worried about the donor’s safety and recovery. View Dr Vij’s profile.
4. Dr Ankur Garg, Paras Health, Gurugram
Dr Garg is Group Director and Head of Liver Transplant and GI Surgery at Paras Health Gurugram. He completed his MCh in HPB Surgery and Liver Transplant at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences (ILBS), New Delhi, and reports more than 4,500 liver transplants with a 95 percent success rate.
He handles living donor, deceased donor, paediatric and dual-lobe transplants, and has particular experience with ABO-incompatible transplants, where the donor’s blood group does not match. He also treats liver cancer with TACE, radioembolisation and microwave ablation.
Best for: patients whose only willing donor has a different blood group, and acute liver failure. View Dr Garg’s profile.
5. Dr Neerav Goyal, Indraprastha Apollo Hospital, New Delhi
Dr Goyal is Senior Consultant in Liver Transplant and Surgical Gastroenterology at Indraprastha Apollo, where the unit performs 6 to 8 liver transplants every week. He has independently performed over 1,800 liver transplants, including more than 500 from deceased donors and 220 in children.
He trained at St Stephen’s Hospital and G.B. Pant Hospital, New Delhi, and performs laparoscopic and robotic donor surgery.
Best for: children with liver failure and patients who may need a deceased donor transplant. View Dr Goyal’s profile.
6. Dr Abhideep Chaudhary, BLK-Max Super Speciality Hospital, New Delhi
Dr Chaudhary is Chairman and Head of HPB Surgery and Liver Transplantation at BLK-Max. He trained in multi-organ transplant surgery at the Thomas Starzl Transplantation Institute, University of Pittsburgh, USA, and has performed more than 2,000 HPB and liver transplant surgeries.
His special interests include robotic donor surgery, ABO-incompatible and dual-lobe transplants, and combined liver and kidney transplants. He is Treasurer of the Liver Transplant Society of India.
Best for: patients who also have kidney failure and may need a combined liver-kidney transplant. View Dr Chaudhary’s profile.
7. Dr Giriraj Bora, Artemis Hospital, Gurugram
Dr Bora is Chairperson of Liver Transplant at Artemis Hospital and has performed more than 2,000 liver transplants. He did his MCh in Surgical Gastroenterology at G.B. Pant Hospital, New Delhi, and performed the first liver transplant in Rajasthan.
His unit at Artemis performs pure laparoscopic and pure robotic donor surgery, which means small cuts and a faster return to work for the donor. He received the Young Investigator Award at the International Liver Transplant Society meeting in 2013.
Best for: donors who need to get back to work or family duties quickly. View Dr Bora’s profile.
8. Dr Mohamed Rela, Rela Hospital, Chennai
Dr Rela is Chairman of Rela Hospital in Chennai and spent nearly three decades as Professor of Liver Surgery at King’s College Hospital, London. He has performed more than 4,500 liver transplants and entered the Guinness Book of Records for a transplant on a five-day-old baby. His Chennai programme does over 300 liver transplants a year, including about 100 in children.
Chennai is further from most African capitals than Delhi, but for a baby or young child with liver failure, his unit is one of the most experienced anywhere.
Best for: infants and children, including biliary atresia.
9. Dr Sanjay Goja, Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Gurugram
Dr Goja is Director and Clinical Lead for Liver Transplantation, HPB and Robotic Liver Surgery at Narayana Superspeciality Hospital, Gurugram. Third-party profiles credit him with more than 2,500 liver transplants over 27 years, most of them from living donors.
He works across living donor transplant, robotic liver surgery and liver cancer.
Best for: patients looking at robotic liver surgery or a second opinion outside the largest units.
10. Dr Selvakumar Naganathan, Park Hospital, Gurugram
Dr Naganathan is Chairman of Liver Transplant at Park Hospital, Palam Vihar, Gurugram. He trained in HPB and liver transplantation at the Centre for Liver and Biliary Sciences, Indraprastha Apollo, and later led liver transplant programmes at Apollo Hospitals and MGM Healthcare in Chennai.
He has performed more than 2,000 liver surgeries, including donor and recipient operations, deceased donor transplants and major liver resections. He has 30+ research publications.
Best for: liver cancer surgery and paediatric transplant. View Dr Naganathan’s profile.
You can see more surgeons on our list of top organ transplant doctors in India.
Liver Transplant Cost in India for Patients from Africa
A living donor liver transplant package in India costs USD 22,000 to 34,000 at the hospitals above. If the patient needs a longer ICU stay or develops complications, the bill can move towards USD 45,000. A deceased donor transplant usually sits at the upper end.
Here is the package range in your own currency:
| Country | Currency | Approximate cost (USD 22,000 to 34,000) |
|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | Naira (NGN) | about ₦29.5 million to ₦45.6 million |
| Tanzania | Shilling (TZS) | about TSh 58 million to TSh 90 million |
| Uganda | Shilling (UGX) | about USh 77 million to USh 119 million |
| Ethiopia | Birr (ETB) | about 3.6 million to 5.6 million Birr |
| Mozambique | Metical (MZN) | about 1.4 million to 2.2 million MT |
| Kenya | Shilling (KES) | about KSh 2.85 million to KSh 4.4 million |
| Ghana | Cedi (GHS) | about GH₵ 264,000 to GH₵ 408,000 |
| Mauritius | Rupee (MUR) | about Rs 1.0 million to Rs 1.6 million |
Converted at approximate October 2026 exchange rates. Hospitals bill in US dollars, so check the rate on the day you pay.
What the package usually covers
- Surgery for both the patient and the donor, with surgeon and anaesthesia fees
- Donor evaluation tests
- ICU stay for both, then a standard room
- Routine tests, scans and medicines during the hospital stay
What you pay on top
- Flights and visa fees for the patient, donor and one attendant
- A hotel or serviced apartment near the hospital for 3 to 5 weeks after discharge
- Anti-rejection medicines after discharge, which the patient takes for life
- Extra ICU days if there are complications
To see how these extra costs add up on a real trip, read our guide to the real cost of a surgery trip to India. If you are also comparing other organ transplants, see kidney transplant cost in India and robotic liver transplant cost in India.
Donor Rules for Foreign Patients
Indian law does not allow a foreign patient to receive a liver from an unrelated Indian donor, and organs cannot be bought or sold. In practice, almost every patient from Africa brings a family member who donates part of their liver. The liver regrows in both people within a few months.
Who can donate
- A close relative: spouse, parent, child, brother, sister, grandparent or grandchild
- Usually aged 18 to 55 and in good general health
- A matching or compatible blood group, unless the surgeon offers an ABO-incompatible transplant (see Dr Ankur Garg and Dr Abhideep Chaudhary above)
- A healthy liver with little fat, and the right size for the patient. Scans in India confirm this
What the hospital needs before surgery
- Passports for the patient and donor
- Documents proving the relationship, such as birth certificates, a marriage certificate or a family register
- A letter from your country’s embassy or high commission in New Delhi confirming the relationship
- In some cases, a DNA test to confirm the family link
- Approval from the hospital’s transplant authorisation committee, which interviews the patient and donor in person
The committee step takes a few days after you arrive, so it is built into the 1 to 2 weeks of evaluation before surgery. Bring certified copies of every document, and a translated copy if any are not in English. The national rules are set by the National Organ and Tissue Transplant Organisation (NOTTO) [nofollow].
If your relative cannot donate, ask the surgeon about the deceased donor waiting list. Waiting times for foreign nationals are long and uncertain, which is why living donation is the normal route.
Getting to India: Flights and Visas by Country
Eight of the 10 surgeons above work in Delhi NCR, so most families fly into Indira Gandhi International Airport, New Delhi. For Dr Rela, fly into Chennai instead.
| Country | Usual route to Delhi | Good to know |
|---|---|---|
| Nigeria | From Lagos or Abuja, one stop via Addis Ababa, Dubai or Doha | Read our step-by-step guide for Nigerian patients |
| Tanzania | From Dar es Salaam via Mumbai, Nairobi, Addis Ababa or Dubai | Check Air Tanzania for any direct Mumbai service when you book |
| Uganda | From Entebbe via Nairobi, Addis Ababa, Dubai or Doha | Book a seat with legroom for the patient on the return leg |
| Ethiopia | Ethiopian Airlines flies non-stop Addis Ababa to Delhi | See our Ethiopia travel guide |
| Mozambique | From Maputo via Johannesburg, Addis Ababa or Nairobi | See our Mozambique travel guide |
| Kenya | Kenya Airways flies Nairobi to Mumbai; Delhi via Mumbai, Addis Ababa or Dubai | Short domestic hop from Mumbai to Delhi |
| Ghana | From Accra via Addis Ababa, Dubai or Nairobi | See our Ghana travel guide |
| Mauritius | Air Mauritius flies to Mumbai; connect to Delhi or Chennai | The shortest trip of the eight countries |
Airline routes change, so confirm schedules when you book.
Which visa you need
- Patient: an e-Medical visa, applied for online, if your nationality is on India’s current e-Visa list. If not, apply for a regular medical visa at the Indian High Commission or Embassy in your country.
- Donor and family: up to two people can travel on linked medical attendant visas. The donor travels as an attendant.
- Invitation letter: the hospital issues a letter that names the patient, donor and treatment. You attach it to every visa application.
The differences between the two visa types are explained in our article on e-Medical visa vs regular medical visa. For Nigeria, Kenya and Ethiopia specifically, read our medical visa guide for Africa. Our team also handles medical visa assistance and the invitation letter for you, free of charge.
How Long You Will Stay in India
Plan for 6 to 8 weeks from landing to flying home. Here is how that time is usually spent:
- Before you travel (1 to 3 weeks): send reports, get a written opinion and cost estimate, collect donor documents, get the embassy letter and visas.
- Week 1 to 2 in India: tests for the patient and donor, scans of the donor’s liver, and the authorisation committee interview.
- Surgery day: the operation takes 8 to 12 hours. The donor and patient are operated on at the same time in two theatres.
- Weeks 2 to 5: the donor is usually discharged after 1 to 2 weeks. The patient stays 3 to 4 weeks, starting in the ICU.
- Weeks 5 to 8: the patient stays near the hospital for check-ups and blood tests while anti-rejection medicine doses are adjusted. The surgeon then clears the patient to fly.
After you go home
The patient takes anti-rejection medicines for life and needs regular blood tests, weekly at first and then monthly. Your treating team in India stays available for online follow-up and can guide your local doctor on the results. Make sure you know where to buy the same medicines at home before you leave India, and carry a 2 to 3 month supply with you.
The donor usually goes back to light work in 4 to 6 weeks and to normal activity in about 3 months.
How to Choose the Right Surgeon for Your Case
All 10 surgeons are highly experienced, so the choice usually comes down to your diagnosis, your donor and your budget. Ask these questions before you decide:
- Is my donor suitable? If your donor’s blood group does not match, you need a team that does ABO-incompatible transplants.
- Is the patient a child? For babies and young children, pick a unit with a dedicated paediatric liver programme.
- Is there liver cancer? Ask whether the tumour is within transplant criteria and whether treatment is needed first.
- How many transplants does the unit do each year, and what is its one-year survival? Ask for the unit’s own figures in writing.
- What exactly does the package include? Get the estimate in writing, with the number of ICU and ward days covered.
- Who will follow up after I go home? Make sure the team does online reviews and will talk to your local doctor.
The easiest way to compare is to send the same reports to two or three of these teams and read their written plans side by side. You can do that through an online second opinion from Indian doctors, and our guide on choosing a medical tourism facilitator in India explains what to expect from an agency. For background on the department as a whole, see organ transplant in India.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the best liver transplant surgeon in India?
There is no single best surgeon for every patient. Dr Arvinder Singh Soin (Medanta) and Dr Subhash Gupta (Max Saket) lead two of the largest programmes in India, while Dr Mohamed Rela (Chennai) is especially known for children. The right choice depends on your diagnosis and donor.
How much does a liver transplant cost in India for a Nigerian patient?
A living donor liver transplant package costs about USD 22,000 to 34,000, which is roughly ₦29.5 million to ₦45.6 million at October 2026 rates. Flights, a hotel after discharge and medicines are extra.
Can patients from Kenya, Tanzania or Uganda bring their own donor?
Yes. The donor must be a close relative, and your embassy or high commission in New Delhi must confirm the relationship. The hospital’s authorisation committee then approves the transplant.
Is there a direct flight from Ethiopia to India for a liver transplant?
Yes. Ethiopian Airlines flies non-stop from Addis Ababa to Delhi, which makes Delhi NCR hospitals the easiest to reach for Ethiopian families.
How long does a patient from Ghana or Mozambique need to stay in India?
Plan for 6 to 8 weeks in total: about 2 weeks of tests, 3 to 4 weeks in hospital after surgery, then a few weeks of check-ups before the surgeon clears the patient to fly.
Is liver transplant in India safe for the donor?
At experienced centres, serious problems for donors are rare. Dr Vivek Vij’s unit, for example, reports a 100 percent donor safety record. The donor’s liver regrows to near full size within a few months.
What is the success rate of liver transplant in India?
Leading Indian centres report 90 to 95 percent one-year survival, which is in line with the best centres worldwide.
Can I get a surgeon’s opinion before travelling from Mauritius?
Yes. Send scans, blood reports and your doctor’s summary, and these teams will review them remotely and send a written plan and cost estimate, usually within a few days.
Get a Free Opinion from India’s Top Liver Transplant Surgeons
If you are in Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Kenya, Ghana or Mauritius and a liver transplant has been recommended, the first step costs nothing. Send us the patient’s latest scans, blood reports and doctor’s summary, plus the donor’s age and blood group if you know them.
Our team at Nobel Medi Assistance will share your case with two or three of the surgeons above and send you their written opinions, cost estimates and a travel plan, usually within 24 hours. We also prepare the hospital invitation letter, help with the embassy paperwork for your donor and meet you at the airport in Delhi. Our help is free for patients, and you pay the hospital directly.
Get your free opinion or message us on WhatsApp at +91 85868 19140.
