Eknath Shinde Flies Kidney Patient To Mumbai After She Misses Her Flight

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde came to the rescue of a woman patient in need of a kidney transplant by taking her on board his chartered plane from Jalgaon to Mumbai after she missed her flight from the North Maharashtra city to the state capital.

The incident occurred at the Jalgaon airport on Friday night, a release issued by Shinde's office here said on Saturday.

"Deputy CM Eknath Shinde was on a visit to Muktainagar (in Jalgaon district) on Friday for the Sant Muktabai Palkhi departure ceremony. While returning to Mumbai, his flight was slightly delayed at the Jalgaon airport. That brief delay turned out to be life-saving for a woman in urgent need of a kidney transplant," the release said.

The woman patient, identified as Sheetal Borde, reached the airport with the hope of going to Mumbai in time for her scheduled transplant surgery. But by the time she arrived, her commercial flight had already departed, and the gravity of the delay threatened her chances of undergoing the critical procedure, it added.

डेडिकेटेड टू कॉमन मॅन !

शिवसेना मुख्य नेते व उपमुख्यमंत्री मा.ना.श्री एकनाथजी शिंदे साहेब शुक्रवारी मुक्ताईनगरला संत मुक्ताबाई पालखी प्रस्थान सोहळ्याला उपस्थित राहण्यासाठी आले होते. तिथून मुंबईकडे परतत असताना विमानतळावर आल्यानंतर त्यांच्या उड्डाणाला थोडा विलंब झाला. मात्र हाच… pic.twitter.com/ZXdLXf5O62

— Shivsena - शिवसेना (@Shivsenaofc) June 7, 2025

When Borde explained her situation to local activists at the airport, they immediately contacted state minister Girish Mahajan, who in turn requested Deputy CM Shinde for help, it said.

Without any hesitation, Shinde took both the woman and her husband on board his chartered flight to Mumbai. During the journey, he personally interacted with her, inquiring about her treatment, the release added.

After the flight landed in Mumbai, Shinde ensured a special ambulance was arranged immediately and personally oversaw her admission to the hospital, it said.

An official from the Dy CM's office said Eknath Shinde's flight was delayed as the pilot took ill.

While a doctor was called in to treat the doctor, Water Resources and Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan and Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Gulabrao Patil also tried to convince him to fly.

"The pilot was not keeping well. There were issues related to time. Technical issues. We spoke to the company. The company spoke to the pilot and the aircraft flew. It was a very minor issue," Mahajan told reporters in Jalgaon.

Later, Gulabrao Patil, who belongs to the ruling Shiv Sena led by Shinde and is also Jalgaon guardian minister, praised his party leader's gesture.

"Eknath Shinde has once again proven that he remains devoted to the common citizen. His intervention in this case has not only saved a life but reaffirmed the values of empathy and public service," the minister said.

"Because of the flight delay, the patient was saved. Ekanth Shinde saheb took the patient on board. The patient was supposed to reach Mumbai before 1 am. We feel the delay in the delay in the flight benefitted the patient," he told PTI.

An official in the DCM office on Saturday said the surgery, however, could not take place as the kidney did not match the donor.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)