Philippines: 7 kidney patients up for transplant

[Clark]

http://www.sunstar.com.ph/zamboanga/local-news/2011/10/19/7-kidney-patients-transplant-185931

7 kidney patients up for transplant

AFTER the success of the first-ever kidney transplant operations in Western Mindanao Medical Center (WMMC), seven other patients with renal disorder have enrolled to be operated.

WMMC Renal Transplant Unit (RTU) head, Dr. Michael Abutazil, who led the first kidney transplant operation in this city, made the announcement Wednesday.

Abutazil disclosed that of the seven enrollees, six are with living donors while one “is pushing for cadaveric donor.”

Living or live donors are people who are conscious that they are to donate one of their kidneys to a recipient, in most cases to a family member; while cadaveric donors are those who are brain dead, and the consent to take out one of his kidneys are done by their families.

Abutazil, however, did not disclosed when the next kidney transplant operation would take place since both the donors and the recipients have to undergo the screening process.

The first kidney transplant in the region was held last October 1 at WMMC, a private tertiary hospital operating in this city.

The recipient is Rufo Paitan, 45, from Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte and the kidney donor is his 41-year-old cousin, Virgilio Solito.

It was Abutazil who brought up the idea of organ transplant to the management of WMMC and two other surgeons from Cagayan de Oro City.

Abutazil said the opening of the RTU at WMMC will pave the way for future organ transplant at a much lesser cost in this city.

Abutzail added that kidney transplantation at the National Kidney Transplant Institute (NKTI) will cost a patient some P1.5 million and P800,000 in Davao City.

However, he did not reveal the cost of the kidney transplant operation they performed in this city except in saying it is around two-thirds of the expenses compared to that in NKTI and Davao City. (Bong Garcia)