UMTH records its first kidney transplant (view proc...)

The University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital on Tuesday announced a major breakthrough –– the conduct of its first successful kidney transplant since it was established 17 years ago.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the transplant was conducted on 31-year-old Suleiman Usman.

The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Othman Kyari, told journalists in Maiduguri that the transplant was conducted on Monday at the Kidney Centre of the hospital. The centre was established 10 years ago.

Kyari pointed out that the organ was donated by the 27-year-old junior brother of the patient, Mr. Abubakar Usman.

“Both the donor and the recipient are in good condition and are recuperating in our ward,” Kyari said.

“Although the hospital spent about N2m on the transplant, we did not charge the patient a dime,” he said.

Kyari said that the surgery was conducted in collaboration with Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital and Aminu Kano University Teaching Hospital.

“The UMTH entered into a collaboration with medical personnel from the OAUTH and AKTH to carry out the transplant.

“The successful transplant is, no doubt, a product of long-term planning, especially in terms of preparing our doctors through local and foreign courses,” he said.

Kyari explained that the hospital decided to collaborate with Nigerian hospitals because it was more profitable.

“We decided to collaborate with sister agencies instead of foreign organisations because it was easier and manageable,” he said.

Also speaking, Dr. Williams Wundi, the coordinator of the UMTH Kidney Centre, described the transplant as the first truly indigenous in the North East.

“This is the first truly indigenous transplant, because the lab analysis and the operations were also conducted in the hospital,” Wundi said.

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