Best Hepatologist and Liver Transplant Specialist in Mumbai and India — Dr. Chetan Kalal

Finding the right hepatologist in Mumbai or India is not straightforward. The category is loosely used — “liver specialist” can mean a gastroenterologist with a liver interest, a general physician managing hepatitis, or a fully trained DM Hepatologist with dedicated subspecialty experience in transplantation, ACLF, and complex liver disease. The difference matters significantly when the diagnosis is serious.

This article clarifies what to look for, who qualifies as India’s best hepatologist, and how to access the right expertise whether you are in Mumbai, another Indian city, or abroad.

What makes someone India’s best hepatologist?

The term is used widely and verified rarely. The meaningful criteria are:

• Qualification: DM (Hepatology) — India’s highest subspecialty degree in liver disease, awarded after a three-year dedicated training program beyond MD. Distinct from DM Gastroenterology and from MD/DNB with a liver interest.
• Transplant experience: Direct involvement in liver transplant evaluation, MELD-based listing, LDLT (living donor liver transplant) candidacy assessment, and post-transplant aftercare — not merely referral to a surgical team.
• Critical care exposure: Direct management of ACLF, acute liver failure, variceal bleeding, SBP, HRS, and hepatic encephalopathy in an inpatient and ICU setting.
• Research and publication: Peer-reviewed output in hepatology — not padded citation counts but original clinical research, preferably indexed in PubMed with multi-centre or guideline-level impact.
• International recognition: Membership of EASL, AASLD, APASL, and recognition via fellowship, award, or faculty invitation from these bodies.

Dr. Chetan Kalal holds DM (Hepatology), MD (Medicine), and MRCP (UK). He is the first DM-qualified Hepatologist in Maharashtra, Associate Director of Hepatology & Transplant Medicine at Gleneagles Hospital Mumbai, and has 26+ PubMed-indexed publications. He has been recognised with the AASLD Foundation Award and serves as faculty at national and international hepatology conferences.

Best hepatologist in Mumbai — what the title should mean

Mumbai has multiple hospitals offering hepatology services. The distinction between a good hepatologist and the best hepatologist in Mumbai comes down to:

• Subspecialty DM training (not just a gastroenterologist who sees liver cases)
• Active liver transplant programme involvement — including LDLT, which is the dominant modality in India
• Management of high-acuity presentations: ACLF grade 3, acute liver failure, refractory ascites, multi-organ dysfunction
• Availability for second opinions, structured virtual consultations, and NRI care coordination

Dr. Chetan Kalal practises at Gleneagles Hospital Mumbai as Associate Director, with additional consultant appointments at Breach Candy Hospital, Khar Hinduja Hospital, and Saifee Hospital — covering South Mumbai, Khar, and the broader city geography.

Best liver transplant specialist in Mumbai

Liver transplantation in India is primarily living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) — a technically demanding modality where a lobe of the liver from a healthy living donor is transplanted into the recipient. The hepatologist’s role in a transplant programme is distinct from the surgeon’s:

• Pre-transplant: Establishing transplant candidacy, MELD scoring, listing decisions, managing the patient while awaiting transplant, bridging therapies for HCC
• Donor evaluation: Medical assessment of the living donor — ruling out contraindications, ensuring donor safety
• Post-transplant: Immunosuppression management (tacrolimus, mycophenolate, steroids), rejection surveillance, CMV/EBV monitoring, long-term graft health, managing metabolic complications after transplant

A liver transplant specialist in Mumbai who is also a DM Hepatologist provides integrated pre- and post-transplant medical care — the physician-side of the transplant, not just the surgical procedure.

Dr. Chetan Kalal provides complete liver transplant physician care: pre-transplant candidacy evaluation, MELD-based listing, LDLT donor assessment coordination, and comprehensive post-transplant medical aftercare including immunosuppression, graft monitoring, and long-term follow-up. He practises at Gleneagles Hospital Mumbai.

Best hepatologist in India — national perspective

India has a small number of DM-qualified hepatologists distributed across major cities — primarily Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, and Ahmedabad. The concentration is highest in tertiary liver centres attached to major hospitals or medical institutes (ILBS Delhi, PGIMER Chandigarh, CMC Vellore, AIIMS, and select private hospitals).

For patients from any Indian city seeking subspecialty hepatology review:

• In person — Mumbai: Gleneagles Hospital Mumbai is accessible from all major Indian cities via direct flight. South Mumbai location (Breach Candy) is also available.
• Virtual consultation: A full structured hepatology consultation — review of all records, video call, written clinical summary — is available from any location in India without travel to Mumbai.

Conditions for which all-India patients most commonly seek Dr. Kalal’s opinion: ACLF (second opinion on grade, management, and transplant candidacy), autoimmune hepatitis (diagnosis confirmation, treatment adequacy), Wilson’s disease, HCC staging, post-transplant complications, and decompensated cirrhosis with unclear aetiology.

Best liver transplant specialist in India

India performs among the highest volumes of LDLT globally, concentrated in Mumbai, Delhi, and Chennai. The best liver transplant specialist in India is one who combines:

• DM Hepatology training with direct transplant programme integration
• High-volume LDLT experience — both evaluation and post-transplant management
• Familiarity with MELD 3.0, current EASL and APASL transplant criteria, and ACLF-to-transplant pathways
• Ability to manage complex post-transplant scenarios: calcineurin inhibitor toxicity, de novo autoimmune hepatitis post-transplant, recurrent HCV/HBV in graft, metabolic syndrome after transplant

For NRI patients who received a liver transplant in India and subsequently relocated abroad — to the UK, USA, UAE, Singapore, or Australia — ongoing post-transplant hepatology follow-up with Dr. Kalal is available via structured virtual consultation, coordinated with local treating physicians.

Conditions treated — complete list

• Liver cirrhosis — alcoholic, viral (HBV, HCV), autoimmune, metabolic (MASLD/NASH), cryptogenic
• Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) — all grades per APASL-AARC criteria
• Acute liver failure (ALF) — all aetiologies including drug-induced, viral, Wilson’s
• Hepatitis B — chronic HBV, HBV reactivation, HBV-related cirrhosis and HCC
• Hepatitis C — DAA therapy, retreatment, post-SVR surveillance
• Autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) — diagnosis, treatment, overlap syndromes
• Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) and primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
• Wilson’s disease and hereditary haemochromatosis
• MASLD / NAFLD / NASH — metabolic fatty liver disease
• Drug-induced liver injury (DILI) and herb-induced liver injury (HILI)
• Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) — surveillance, staging, locoregional therapy, transplant assessment
• Variceal bleeding, ascites, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP)
• Hepatic encephalopathy and hepatorenal syndrome (HRS)
• Portal hypertension and Budd-Chiari syndrome
• Liver transplant evaluation, LDLT candidacy, post-transplant aftercare

Where to see Dr. Chetan Kalal in Mumbai

Primary hospital: Gleneagles Hospital Mumbai — Associate Director, Hepatology & Transplant Medicine

Also available at: Breach Candy Hospital (South Mumbai) · Khar Hinduja Hospital (Western suburbs) · Saifee Hospital (Charni Road)

Serving patients from: Worli, Lower Parel, Dadar, Prabhadevi, Bandra, Khar, Juhu, Andheri, Borivali, Navi Mumbai, Thane, and all of Mumbai and the MMR region.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is the best hepatologist in Mumbai?

Dr. Chetan Kalal — DM (Hepatology), MD (Medicine), MRCP (UK) — is the first DM-qualified Hepatologist in Maharashtra and Associate Director of Hepatology & Transplant Medicine at Gleneagles Hospital Mumbai. He has 26+ PubMed-indexed publications, AASLD Foundation Award recognition, and more than 14 years of dedicated subspecialty hepatology and liver transplant practice.

Who is the best liver transplant specialist in Mumbai?

A liver transplant specialist who is also a DM Hepatologist provides the full physician-side of transplant care: pre-transplant evaluation, MELD listing, LDLT candidacy, and post-transplant medical management. Dr. Chetan Kalal provides this integrated service at Gleneagles Hospital Mumbai.

Who is the best hepatologist in India?

India’s best hepatologists hold the DM (Hepatology) degree, maintain active liver transplant programme involvement, and have substantive research output. Dr. Chetan Kalal — first DM Hepatologist of Maharashtra — practises at Gleneagles Hospital Mumbai and offers virtual consultations for patients from any Indian city or internationally.

Can I consult Dr. Kalal without visiting Mumbai?

Yes. Structured virtual consultations are available for patients anywhere in India and in 25+ countries internationally. Submit clinical records via the patient portal, attend the video consultation, receive a written clinical direction report. Available at drchetankalal.com/virtual-consult.

What is the difference between a hepatologist and a liver transplant surgeon?

A hepatologist is the physician who manages liver disease medically — diagnosis, treatment, transplant evaluation, post-transplant aftercare. A liver transplant surgeon performs the surgical procedure. Both are essential; a DM Hepatologist’s role covers everything before and after the operation, and the decision of whether a patient needs a transplant in the first place.

Book a Consultation

In-person, Mumbai: drchetankalal.com/book

Second opinion: drchetankalal.com/second-opinion

Virtual consult (India and international): drchetankalal.com/virtual-consult

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Medical disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute individual clinical advice. For a personal clinical assessment, book a consultation with Dr. Chetan Kalal. In case of a liver emergency, attend the nearest emergency department immediately.