Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Center​(AIMS) has been awarded the coveted ​​​​British Medical Journal Award 2015 for the Best Surgical Team of South Asia. The Amrita team won the award for its two successful double hand transplants. This is the second consecutive year that the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences received the BMJ Award. Its paediatric cardiology team won the award in 2014 for quality improvement in healthcare.

Surgeons at the Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences carried out the first and second twin hand transplant in South Asia. The first recipient is a native of Kerala and the second a former soldier from Afghanistan.  The success of two twin hand transplants, a rare procedure worldwide, showed the capability of surgeons at Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences. The jury considered the impact of these transplants to promote organ donation in the region and the stimulus it gave to other centers in the country and Asia to start similar programs, to the benefit of people who have lost limbs and other organs.

The selection process involved a three-stage rigorous evaluation by a team of experts from India and abroad, from among over 1000 entries. The BMJ awards are considered the “Oscars” in health delivery management.

“The awards reflect our desire to recognize and showcase excellence in the practice of medicine in South Asia. The nominations that we received this year truly added credence to the stature of the awards. We hope the awards this year highlight the most spectacular achievements of doctors in South Asia and help the winners and the finalists receive the acknowledgment they truly deserve,” said Tim Brooks, CEO of BMJ Awards.

Apart from delivering quality health care to the needy, the hospitals were also chosen for imparting quality medical education to  students pursuing various courses in the institutions.  The award was received by Dr.​​Subramania Iyer, Professor and Head of the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Amrita Institute of Medical Sciences at a function in Mumbai on October 30, 2015.