HMC to start liver transplants soon Friday, 03 September 2010 04:44

DOHA: The Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) will start liver transplant surgery shortly, according to Dr Riadh Fadhil, senior consultant and transplant surgeon at HMC.

Currently the transplant unit at HMC is conducting only kidney transplant operations.

There are several patients at HMC seeking a liver transplant.

DOHA: The Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) will start liver transplant surgeries shortly, according to Dr Riadh Fadhil, senior consultant and transplant surgeon at HMC.

Currently the transplant unit at HMC is conducting only kidney transplant operations.

“We are in the final stages of preparations to start liver transplant operations here,” said Fadhil, adding that the surgery could probably be introduced by the end of this year.

There are a good number of patients at HMC who are seeking a liver transplant. In the absence of the personnel and the facilities to conduct the surgery here, HMC has been collaborating with the GCC consortium to conduct such surgeries outside the country, particularly in Saudi Arabia.

He said the proposed Organ Donation and Transplant Center at HMC was also expected to be launched by December this year.

“The centre to be based at the Hamad General Hospital will play a major role in promoting organ donation and transplant in Qatar,” said Fadhil.

He said the country was still facing a shortage of organ donors, although the situation had significantly improved over the past one year.

“This year we have performed six kidney transplant surgeries at HMC which is equal to the total number of surgeries conducted over the past three years. Another three surgeries would be conducted after Eid Al Fitr,” said Fadhil. He said there were about 100 kidney patients at HMC awaiting donors. Some 500 patients are currently undergoing dialysis. “We are encouraging the patients to find donors themselves, preferably from relatives. We put them under dialysis as long they find a donor or opt for a transplant outside the country,” said Fadhil.

One of the major objectives of Qatar’s ongoing campaign to promote organ donation and transplant in the country is to discourage patients from going to other countries for transplant surgeries and to protect them from falling victims to the immoral practices related to organ donation.

The Peninsula

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