Dubai's Al Jalila children’s hospital launches first paediatric organ transplant centre in UAE
Heart, liver, kidney and bone marrow transplants among facilities offered for children
Dubai: Marking its fourth anniversary, Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital has launched the first organ transplant centre for children in Dubai. The only UAE hospital that specialises in all aspects of paediatric medicine, launched the first comprehensive paediatric organ transplant centre in the county on Monday.
In line with national efforts to advance organ transplantation programmes, the centre will provide the full spectrum of care to children suffering from organ failure — including disease management, transplantation evaluation, organ transplant and post-transplantation care.
The organ transplant programme at the centre will include transplant services for children with acute and/or chronic kidney, liver, heart and bone marrow diseases. As a first phase, the centre will roll out the kidney transplant programme while the other specialities will be introduced subsequently.
'High-quality transplant services'
Dr Abdulla Al Khayat, CEO of Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital, said: “Since the passing of the UAE federal law, allowing transplantation of human organs and tissues in 2016, the concerned health-care players have worked towards enabling UAE citizens and residents to have access to high-quality transplant services. Al Jalila Children’s role, in these collaborative efforts, have been instrumental and today with the launch of this first-of-its-kind comprehensive paediatric transplant centre, we are building on these efforts by developing an institution that will become an integral part of the country’s health-care ecosystem.
Dr Al Khayat further added: “The centre will also contribute to the UAE government’s vision to put the UAE at the forefront of organ transplantation, regional and globally, as it will also focus on innovation, research and long-term outcome and community development.”
The Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital has been a key player in pushing the paediatric organ transplantation objective in Dubai. The hospital, in collaboration with the Mohammed Bin Rashid University for Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU), carried out the first paediatric kidney transplantation in the emirate, giving a nine-year-old girl born with just one kidney a new lease of life. Till date, the hospital has carried out a total of four organ transplants. State -of-the-art organ transplant facilities
Dr Mohammed Al-Awadhi, COO of Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital, said: “The centre, in collaboration with MBRU and Mediclinic Middle East, will bring innovative care to patients with organ failure — including diagnostics, organ regeneration and pharmaco-engineering to help advance the portfolio of organ transplant programmes in the UAE. Our multidisciplinary team of experts led by Dr Waldo Concepcion, who joined us from Stanford University Hospital, understands the unique needs of young patients. Their combined expertise makes us equipped to offer quality care for children suffering from organ failures, providing them with a new lease of life.”
The centre will be utilising state-of-the-art procedures and technologies such as imaging procedures to minimise radiation exposure. It will also offer genetic evaluation of patients to better understand their conditions.