Maiduguri — The University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) in collaboration with the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital and the Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, have successfully performed the first kidney transplant since the establishment of the kidney centre 10 years ago.
The Chief Medical Director (CMD) of the hospital, Professor Othman Kyari, while briefing journalists at the Kidney Centre yesterday, said this was the first time that such a transplant was done by indigenous medical team.
He said the operation was carried out free of charge with the hospital paying N2 million as the medical bills of the surgery, adding that the donor of the kidney, Abubakar Usman, 27, donated his kidney to his brother, Suleiman Usman willingly. He said both the donor and recipient are responding to treatment at the intensive care unit of the hospital.
The CMD stated that the collaborative effort was a continuous exercise until the hospital team could perform such an operation successfully on its own. He called on the federal and state governments to assist the kidney centre with funds, in order to subsidize the cost of the operation to those having kidney problems.
Also speaking, the Leader of the medical team, Professor Adewale Akinsola, a consultant with the Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital, said chronic kidney disease has become an epidemic all over the world.
He said in Nigeria, the prevalence was about 15 percent in community findings, but only 10 of such affected people have serious ailments, while a very tiny proportion of those affected seek medical care. "In our hospitals, about 10 percent of patients admitted to medical wards have severe renal failure."
The consultant said renal transplantation was the most cost effective and efficient kidney treatment. Other less efficient ones are Haemadialys and Peritoneal Dialysis, adding that when both are equally affected, their functions cannot support life if 90 percent of their functionality is lost.
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I thank God for all the teachers and the students, keep it up as God Almighty bless every body who in one way or the other contribute to the success
This is a good development in the health sector of this and a source of hope to many with END STAGE RENAL FAILURE in this. This is so because of the high cost of doing it in overseas country (travelling expenses inclusive) and also the challenges of post transplant management (check-ups) which have to be done monthly to forestall rejection of the transplanted kidney or possible infections which are the major problem faced by a transplant patient. Is he/her going to travel abroad for this check ups? And there is no fair that medical doctors here in this country wont be able to do it succesfully because they have being doing. I happen to be one of the recipient done in this country at OAUTHC ILE IFE. I did my June 2008 and an doing fine. There has been some done before mine and others that are done after mine. Personnally i know three people with mine making four. The one done before mine was for a lady and her surgery had taken place 8 years ago. All these surgery were done by the combine team of urology and renal doctor from OAU alone without the help of other hospitals either in this country or abroad. For more information, contact the renal unit of Obafemi Awolowo university teaching hospital or the urology unit.