The success of a fourth kidney transplant by a military hospital offers renewed hope to patients suffering from kidney failure in Senegal.
The Ouakam Military Hospital (HMO) in Dakar performed its fourth kidney transplant on Saturday, July 27, 2024.
The operation, carried out by an “exclusively Senegalese” team made up of members of the HMO-Dantec consortium and a vascular surgeon, was a success, according to the Senegalese Armed Forces’ Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIRPA), which stated that “the donor recipient couple are doing well.”
The collaboration between the Ouakam Military Hospital and the Le Dantec University Hospital had already led to the first three kidney transplants in Senegal on 26 and 27 November 2023, with the support of Turkish specialists.
These pioneering operations aroused great interest among the country’s kidney patients, marking a significant advance in the field of health in Senegal.
Kidney failure, which affects around 5 per cent of the Senegalese population, represents a heavy financial burden for patients’ families, who are forced to undergo several weekly dialysis sessions.
Since 2012, the Senegalese government has made this treatment free of charge in public facilities, subsidising treatment and gradually expanding its infrastructure.
However, demand continues to grow,making it difficult to meet all needs.
ODL/ac/Sf/fss/GIK/APA