First-ever kidney transplant carried out in the United Arab EmiratesPublished: 01 October 2007
The first-ever kidney transplant in the UAE has been successfully carried out in Abu Dhabi last week.
The operation, at the Zayed Military Hospital, was performed on a 53-year-old Sudanese patient, who had suffered kidney failure some four months ago. The patient's wife and cousin had donated her kidneys to the man.
During the two-hour long operation, an incision was made in the lower abdomen of the patient and the new kidney was stitched into place within the pelvis and the incision closed, according to reports in the UAE dailies.
Dr Rashid Mohamad Al Nueimi, Director of the Medical Services at the Hospital, said the success of this operation was a major milestone for the hospital and the hospital is now ready to accommodate similar patients with kidney problems after the success of the operation.
The Hospital also carried out successfully the country's first-ever liver transplant in August on Asian patient. The operation went smoothly and both donor and recipient are currently out of hospital and continuing with their daily lives.
"We have hundreds of patients on the waiting list who go to countries such as the Philippines and other parts of Asia and come back with worse kidney conditions; currently we have 20 to 30 patients who are undergoing dialysis and plan to accommodate the hundreds on our waiting list soon," Dr Al Nuaimi added.
He said that a team of specialists is currently working on the inauguration of a transplant centre which is expected to open within the next two years.
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