The Chief Medical Director of Lagos State
University Teaching Hospital, LASUTH, Professor Wale Oke, yesterday announced
the 2nd successful kidney transplants performed by a team of indigenous medical
experts in the hospital.
Oke who explained that the feat was the
second successful kidney transplant by the hospital said the institution has
perfected plans to make the it a routine.
At a press conference, he stated that the
kidney transplant birthed following the state government’s determination to
stem medical tourism.
According to him,
“60 percent of patients
seen on wheel chair at international airport here in Lagos have to do with
kidney issues, and most of them are going to India or the US for transplant.
A lot of foreign exchange are also involved.
One thing unique about this exercise is that the experts were all Nigerians
and from LASUTH apart from one”
The elated Chief Medical Director who explained
that a total of two successful transplants were carried out at an affordable
cost.
He disclosed that the surgery was not free
but at minimal cost of about N4.5 million compared to N8 million charged
elsewhere.
Warning that LASUTH would not accept commercial
donors for organ transplant, said right now the cost of the surgery covers cost
of drugs for a period of six months.
“What we are doing now is family donation. We
are also looking at going into heart transplant. We encourage Nigerians to come
to the hospital for their kidney transplant at an affordable cost.,” he added.
Speaking, the leader of the team, an
Associate Professor of Medicine and Consultant Nephrologist, Dr Olugbenga.
Awobusuyi said the team is not limiting services to kidney transplant but
expanding to heart and other organ transplants.
He said the two transplants which involved
four patients lasted for about seven hours. Awobusuyi said the patients are
recuperating in the ward and would be discharge by next week.
He regretted that many transplant patients
are on the waiting list for donors while those with ready donors have no money
to perform the surgery.
“Our challenge is lack of donors. Right now,
we are using only family donor. We don’t accept commercial donors.
Unfortunately many of these patients are on dialysis due to lack of donors and
some of them are dying,” he stated.
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