DELSUTH makes history, performs first kidney transplant

Another kidney transplant would be done on Tuesday

THE Delta State University Teaching Hospital, DELSUTH, Oghara has achieved a medical feat with a successful kidney transplant.

The state governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan, who disclosed this on Monday, expressed joy at the development, which he described as another medical breakthrough for the hospital.

The governor, a medical doctor, had assured last year that the hospital located in the home town of his predecessor, James Ibori, would achieve the feat.

The hospital had earlier carried out hip-bone and knee cap replacement surgeries.

“This is a happy day for me as we are able to provide this service,” Mr. Uduaghan, who was among the medical team in the theatre when the operation was done, said.

“I know we were well prepared for this surgery and we also have a good post-surgery team.”

The governor said DELSUTH was overflowing with patients and so the government was planning to expand bed facilities by putting up a 300-bed ward for this hospital.

He said the hospital had gone into a five year partnership with UT South-Western Medical Centre, Dallas, United States.

Mr. Udughan said, “We have a five-year training agreement with them to build infrastructure and human capacity.

“What they will be charging here will be far lower than what obtains anywhere else in the world.

“About two years ago, we started subsidizing dialysis in this hospital and brought it down from N22,000.00 to N5,000.00 . The subsidy is mainly for Deltans.”

The Chief Medical Director of DELSUTH, Leslie Akporiaye, said the kidney transplant was a new innovation in the hospital and that the operation lasted just a few hours.

“A lot of preparation has been on with the provision of necessary facilities, training and observation in Dallas and here in Oghara by staff of DELSUTH,” he said.

Mr. Akporiaye stated that the feat was the beginning of more of such surgeries that would take place in the hospital.

He also said that a second kidney transplant would be performed at the hospital on Tuesday.