Transplant trailblazers

The United Arab Emirate's most prolific transplant team is gearing up to perform its eighth renal graft in less than a year. The driving force behind the surgeries are Dr Mustafa Ahmed, a consultant nephrologist at Welcare Hospital in Dubai. And Mr Kamal Abusin, a consultant transplant surgeon at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, UK. They talk exclusively to MT about the country's need for a national organ donation scheme to end its reliance on the illegal organ trade.

How many transplants have you carried out in the UAE?

Dr Ahmed: We have done seven kidney transplants and three livers in almost a year and they've all turned out very well - our patients are very happy. We do them in the federal government hospital in our spare time.

The first four kidneys were performed in the Zayed Military Hospital in Abu Dhabi and three in Al Quassimi Hospital in Sharjah.

The reason they are done in military and government facilities is because the rules and regulations are not yet in place for the private sector to do them.

What is the demand for kidney transplantation?

Dr Ahmed: I have 10 patients awaiting renal transplants with live donors, who are relatives or spouses.

The prevalence of renal failure here is 350 per million population and there are three government-run units in the country that deal with dialysis patients; Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi, Dubai Hospital and Al Qassimi Hospital in Sharjah.

Each has about 300 patients. Of these about 60-65% would be eligible for transplant, and 30% of these would already have a potential donor. But this 30% is still waiting because no one is doing the transplants here, which forces people to go abroad either legally or illegally.

MT reported exclusively last month that patients from the UAE are buying organs on Asia's black market. Why is this happening?

Mr Abusin: People have money and with money you can buy anything, so why take it [an organ] from a relative. They think donation is something serious and they will get sick and die, and do they want to do that at a young age.

A lot of people ask you [as a transplant surgeon] here, what it would cost to get them a kidney.

Dr Ahmed: That happens at least once a week. People think we have a stock of people who will donate for money, as if we are the gatekeepers. It's just the culture. I know about illegal transplants, I tell them not to do it. I will have nothing to do with the organ trade.

What steps could the UAE take to stop people traveling abroad for transplants?

Dr Ahmed: Starting a cadaver programme is tremendously important from both an economic and a health policy position.

If the UAE is serious about the health of the population and achieving health care excellence we need to fall in with other GCC countries such as Oman, Kuwait and Saudi - who all have cadaver schemes.

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