Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) performs two kidney transplants

Three months after successfully carrying out three Open Heart Surgery (OHS) on patients at the hospital, the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH) has achieved another milestone by successfully carrying out two kidney transplant.

Speaking at a recent media parley in the hospital, the Chairman, Medical Advisory Committee of the hospital, Prof. Chris Bode who described the surgeries as another feat in the Nigerian health sector said the hospital was preparing for another set in a couple of weeks, and also pointed out that it was the long term plan of the hospital to have such transplants done regularly at a subsidised rate.

“To make sure that all patients who are willing to have their surgeries done in LUTH benefit from this feat, and also ensuring that people will have confident in the hospital in the area of kidney transplant, the surgery which was ordinarily supposed to cost about N6.5millon was done for N3.5millon.

“Rather than travelling long distances to have them accessed, we have a team of nephrologists who have been taking care of the patients and will continue to take care of them even after they are discharged,” Bode said.

He added: “The long term plan of the hospital is to have the surgery done regularly, until it becomes a routine surgery such that within a short period of time once a patient is ready with the donor, we can plan a surgery and have it done in a short while. As for now, we are already working on the next set of patients who are going to have their surgery done in few weeks.”

Furthermore, the chairman noted that although the surgery was being carried out in collaboration with a team of expatriates, they were only allowed to perform supervisory roles.

Two recipients who have had their surgeries done, Mr. AzubuikeUchendu and Mrs. AbdullahiFodullilahi, noted that their symptoms started years ago with headaches, and body pain, and swollen legs. But after several months of lingering illness, they were directed to LUTH and were later diagnosed of having kidney disease.

They however urged prospective patients to save themselves the stress of travelling abroad to have a kidney transplant when they could have it done successfully at LUTH cheaper and stress-free.

“We want to pass a message to Nigerians that LUTH is now at the forefront of providing kidney transplant and care throughout the post-transplant period. It is readily available, far cheaper than flying outside the country to have the surgery done and we facilitate for long term post -transplant care because the surgery is a first step in a long journey, but with the post -transplant care readily available, patients have easy access to their doctors,” they said.

Credit: Busayo Adekoya/ThisDay