Dr Manoj Durairaj is an Indian heart transplant surgeon, based in Pune. He was awarded "Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice" in November 2021. He has been working as Director, Marian Cardiac Centre and Research Foundation, Pune, India, the firsts heart transplant centre in Pune, and Director of Heart and Lung Transplant Program Sahyadri Hospital, Pune, India.
As Programme Director for Heart and Lung Transplantation at Sahyadri Hospitals, Pune, Dr Durairaj has led a comprehensive transplant programme accessible to patients across income levels.
Dr Manoj Durairaj was born on 3 February 1971, at Pune, India, to Dr. Manuel Durairaj, Professor of Cardiology and former Honorary Physician, who served as the honorary physician to three India presidents â N Sanjeeva Reddy, R Venkataraman and Gyani Zail Singh. His mother, Mrs Valsamma Durairaj, was actively engaged in the charismatic movement in Poona Diocese, Maharashtra, India. Manoj Durairaj did his schooling at St. Vincent's High School, Pune, India. Then he went to pursue his M.B.B.S. at Rajah Muthiah Medical College, Annamalai University, Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India (1988-1994). He completed his M.S. (General Surgery) at Armed Forces Medical College, Poona University, Pune, Maharashtra, India (1995-1998). He completed M. Ch. (Cardiothoracic and Vascular Surgery), at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India (1999-2002). He earned his Advanced Fellowship in Cardiac Surgery, from Austin, Melbourne University, Victoria, Australia (2002-2005). Dr Manoj has served as the 55th President of the Indian Association of Cardiovascular-Thoracic Surgeons (2024-2025), which is the highest position in Cardiothoracic surgery in India.
As Director of the Marian Cardiac Centre and Research Foundation, he oversees an NGO that has facilitated hundreds of free or subsidised openâÂÂheart surgeries, 2D echocardiography camps, and preventive cardiac screenings for underprivileged women and children across Maharashtra.
Marian Cardiac Centre is involved in charitable work, specifically through its "Saving Little Hearts" project. This initiative focuses on raising funds to support children needing urgent open-heart surgery, aiming to provide timely and appropriate treatment to prevent deaths due to lack of funds or access to care.
He was the first Indian surgeon to perform paediatric cardiac surgery in Nigeria, serving medically underserved African communities. In recognition of his global humanitarian service, he was awarded the Proâ¯Ecclesia etâ¯Pontifice medal by the Vatican.
As the 55th President of the Indian Association of CardiovascularâÂÂThoracic Surgeons (IACTS) since February 2024, he has introduced skillâÂÂlab initiatives and public outreach programs to raise surgical standards nationwide. His foundation ensures comprehensive postâÂÂoperative and transplant supportâÂÂincluding lifelong medication, investigations, and rehabilitationâÂÂespecially for indigent patients like Prerana and Ganesh Kale.
Dr. Manoj Durairaj is a cardiac surgeon, practising Pediatric and Adult Cardiac Surgery. Dr. Manoj Durairaj performed Pune's first heart transplant. By creating two centers for heart transplantation in Pune, India, he pioneered the heart transplantation program in the city. He conducted the first heart transplant in Nagpur in June 2019 as the Program Director of the Department of Heart Transplantation at Sahyadri Hospital. Further, his team completed Pune's first successful left ventricular assist device (LVAD), which replaces the left part of the heart with a mechanical pump. Through the project "Saving Little Hearts" run by Marian Cardiac Centre and Research Foundation, Pune, India, he has helped more than 600 lives.
Dr Manoj Durairaj was presented with the Governor of Lagos Award for performing the city's first pediatric heart surgery. Additionally, he led a team to Sanaa, Yemen, where he performed the nation's first off-pump coronary surgery at the Tabqa government hospital. He has operated on more than 350 heart patients from the marginalised sections free of cost.
With 28 years of experience, he is regarded as one of the best Cardiac Surgeons in Pune., who keeps himself regularly updated. Thus, he is credited with performing PuneâÂÂs first successful heart transplant as well as its first successful Left Ventricular Assist Device (LVAD) implantationâÂÂmilestones that opened a new era in the treatment of end-stage heart failure in Western India. Dr Durairaj has been instrumental in starting three heart transplant programmes in Maharashtra (Ruby Hall Clinic, Pune, Sahyadri Hospitals, Pune. New Era Hospital, Nagpur) and one in Gujarat (Epic Hospital, Ahmedabad). As Programme Director for Heart and Lung Transplantation at Sahyadri Hospitals, Pune, he has led and scaled a comprehensive transplant programme that serves patients across income levels, ensuring equitable access to advanced surgical interventions.