Author: LUDOVICK KAZOKA
AfricaPress-Tanzania: PEOPLE with defective kidneys in the country may now heave a sigh of relief after the Benjamin Mkapa Hospital (BMH) carried out its second successful renal transplant by using Tanzanian medics.
Previously, the government sent those with the defect to India for kidney transplant service.
Briefing reporters here yesterday, the hospital’s Executive Director, Dr Alphonce Chandika, said BMH, in conjunction with the University of Dodoma (UDOM) carried out its 13th kidney transplant at the end of last month.
“BMH has helped the government to save over 100m/- that would be spent on an organ transplant abroad.
The same amount of money is spent on conducting the procedure on four patients at the hospital,” the hospital’s boss said.
In March, BMH performed its twelfth kidney transplant and first kidney operation without the back up of foreign medics, becoming the first hospital in the country to undertake the task independently.
Dr Chandika extended gratitude to the government for the great support that it accords to BMH, noting that kidney transplants at the Hospital was a dream that the government had enabled the hospital to realise.
On his part, the principal of UDOM’s College of Health and Allied Sciences, Prof Ipyana Mwampagatwa, who represented UDOM Vice Chancellor Prof Faustine Bee, commended leaders of both institutions, UDOM and BMH for the vision to carry out kidney transplant.
“We owe this kidney transplant in the country by using our own doctors to visionary leaders,” he said.
Prof Mwampagatwa pointed out that BMH was set to become a centre of excellence in the country where other doctors would wish to come to learn about kidney transplant.
Nephrologist at BMH Dr Kessy Shija said the kidney transplant by Tanzanian medics is a big plus for the local medical field.
