Strengthening Indo-African Healthcare

Indian Doctors from BLK Super Speciality Hospital perform Tanzania’s first ever Kidney Transplant at Muhimbili National Hospital

A team of experienced doctors from BLK Super Speciality Hospital in partnership with Muhimbili National Hospital at Dar es salaam performed the first ever kidney transplantation in Tanzania. This is one of the most significant milestones in Tanzania’s medical history.

In line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision that India will stand ‘shoulder to shoulder’ with the continent in its race towards a brighter future, BLK Super Speciality Hospitals initiatives in the African region further endorses the vision and is a step forward in strengthening India’s partnership with Africa.

The New Delhi-based BLK Super Speciality Hospital has been working with Muhimbili National Hospital as well as other healthcare institutes in the region like the JakayaKikwete Cardiac Institute (JKCI), Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Muhimbili Orthopaedic Institute with a broader aim to promote cooperation and mutual understanding between the two countries.

Mr Naresh Kapoor, Executive Director, BLK Super Speciality Hospital says, “It is a matter of great honour that the first ever kidney transplant in Tanzania was performed by a team of Indian doctors from BLK Super Speciality Hospital.  This surgery reiterates the highest level of expertise and experience of our team not only in India but also across the globe. Such surgeries are enormously complicated with significant risks, hence the success of this first ever kidney transplant enlivens hope for the people of Tanzania. I congratulate our team on the success.”

“We have established credible linkage with countries in Africa through a number of collaborative programmes with an objective to build healthcare capacities locally in countries such as Tanzania. This surgery will certainly boost Indo-Tanzanian relationships in the field of healthcare”, he adds.

The surgery was conducted on a 30-year-old Tanzanian lady who was suffering from end stage kidney disease and was on haemodialysis for over a year. “The kidney donor was her 27-year-old brother who selflessly donated a kidney to save his sister’s life,” said Dr H S Bhatyal, Head of Urology and Kidney Transplantation at the BLK Super Speciality Hospital.

Dr Jacqueline Shoo and Dr Kisanga from the Nephrology Department at Muhimbili National Hospital also were a great support to their Indian counterparts.

“Both donor and recipient are recuperating well and should return to normal activities soon. They are under our care and supervision”, said Dr Sunil Prakash, Director & Head of Nephrology, BLK Super Speciality Hospital who along with Dr Rajesh Pande, Director Critical Care at BLK Super Speciality Hospital were part of this medical breakthrough.

BLK Super Speciality Hospital has been working towards knowledge sharing, transfer of skills and capacity building with the objective of building the African region as an advanced healthcare destination.

While announcing the historical medical achievement, Tanzania Health Minister Ummi Mwalimu said, “We are very thankful to Indian doctors as such surgeries would provide cost relief and enable many Tanzanians to access world class health services. The success of this kidney transplant in the country laid a noble foundation for the introduction of other organ transplantations in the country”.

This brings hope to a number of patients waiting for transplant operations in the African nation. The medical collaboration is set to grow stronger in the coming days.

 

Professor Lawrence Museru, Executive Director, Muhimbili National Hospital agrees that this surgery is a significant step forward for Indo-Tanzania collaborations in the field of medicine