Every year World Kidney Day, observed on the second Thursday of March, provides an opportunity to reflect on the success of kidney transplantation as a therapy for end-stage renal disease. The global burden of chronic kidney disease is increasing and is projected to become the fifth-most common cause of years of lives lost globally by 2040.

The Mediclinic City Hospital’s transplant programme offers patients suffering from end-stage renal disease an alternative to dialysis. The transplant team provides comprehensive, multidisciplinary care for potential transplant recipients and donors, from initial consultation through to the procedure of donation or transplant, and ongoing treatment.

“We offer both living-related and deceased donor transplant options to patients suffering from end-stage renal disease,” says Dr Ramzi Ayache, Consultant Nephrologist at Mediclinic City Hospital. “Our ethos is to provide the transplant option to any patient who chooses to explore transplant in an equitable, transparent and just manner. All our post renal transplant patients are alive and healthy maintaining an excellent renal function and a graft survival of 100 per cent. None of the patients have required dialysis post-surgery as they had an immediate graft function.”

The transplant committee at Mediclinic City Hospital provides clinical oversight by assessing the suitability of every patient and formally agrees on the most appropriate treatment plan for all cases before proceeding to donation or placing a patient on a wait list with the National Transplant Committee.

“Each passing week after my surgery, I have seen improvement and with each improvement I feel hopeful,” says Vinay B. Pokale, a recent renal transplant patient at Mediclinic City Hospital. “I don’t know who my donor was, but because of the selfless actions done by the family members of the deceased to make a donation like this, I have been blessed with a second chance in life. I will be forever grateful.”

Supportive partnership

The programme enjoys a strong and supportive partnership with Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) in propelling transplant to the forefront of healthcare, in the process helping to transform the nation's laws on organ donation and transplant and making the service available to UAE citizens and residents.

In June 2016 Mediclinic City Hospital was the first hospital in Dubai to perform a deceased donor kidney transplant. The programme covers all residents of the UAE, citizens and expatriates alike, and is considered the best option for residents of the northern emirates considering a transplant. It has been accredited by the Saudi Centre for Organ Transplantation (SCOT), the reference centre for organ donation and transplant for the GCC; Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA); and the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP). Furthermore, the programme has been assessed against the Joint Commission International standards and is fully accredited.

Dr Farhad Janahi, Assistant Professor of Surgery, MBRU, Consultant Urologist and part of the Mediclinic City Hospital Transplant Team, summed up the efforts that go into this programme. “Our entire community has embraced this endeavour. We are extremely grateful to all who made this possible, especially the UAE government, SCOT, MOHAP, Dubai Airports, General Directorate of Residency and Foreigner Affairs, Dubai Customs, Dubai Police, Dubai Ambulance and all our hospital staff for their tireless work. Last but not the least, our donor families, who in their time of grief thought of giving life to another human. They not only brought joy to our recipients but their entire families.”

Multiparty agreement

This year Mediclinic City Hospital also signed a three-party agreement with Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital and MBRU to collaborate on activities related to organ transplant services. The collaboration will ensure that the three entities work closely with the National Transplant Programme led by MOHAP as well as other health authorities, government and non-government entities to support transplant efforts in the UAE and the region. This form of collaboration has been highlighted by Dr Amin Hussain Al Amiri, Assistant Undersecretary of Public Health Policy and Licensing in MOHAP, as a sought-after and valued asset in the present and future of healthcare in the UAE.

Mediclinic Middle East is part of Mediclinic International, a private hospital group with three operating platforms in Southern Africa (South Africa and Namibia), Switzerland and the UAE, and a 29.9 per cent shareholding in Spire Healthcare, a UK-based healthcare group with 38 hospitals.

Mediclinic Middle East operates seven hospitals and more than 20 clinics with almost 900 inpatient beds in the UAE.

For further information about Mediclinic Middle East and its facilities visit www.mediclinic.ae