Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj to undergo kidney transplant today

She was admitted to hospital a month earlier for kidney failure

Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, will undergo a kidney transplant on Saturday, a month after being admitted to hospital for kidney failure, Business Standard reported.

Swaraj, who is a diabetic, will undergo the procedure at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). She was admitted to the hospital on November 7 for the procedure after several visits.

The 64-year-old minister has been frequently treated for diabetes and has been on dialysis prior to being admitted.



One of India’s best-known female politicians and a veteran leader of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Swaraj tweeted on November 16 that she was undergoing dialysis at a private hospital in New Delhi.

I am in AIIMS because of kidney failure. Presently, I am on dialysis. I am undergoing tests for a Kidney transplant. Lord Krishna will bless

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) November 16, 2016

The Press Trust of India said Swaraj, who suffers from chronic diabetes, was admitted to AIIMS on November 7. Millions of Indians suffer from kidney disease, mostly because of high rates of diabetes.

However, the country has low rates of organ donation and a chronic shortage of organs available for transplant has fueled a black market.

This article originally appeared on Business Standard