Nigeria achieving success in kidney transplant – Medical practitioner
By Chukwuka Ugokwe, Awka
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The Nigeria Medical Association (NMA) has said that hospitals in Nigeria have achieved seventy percent success in kidney transplant in recent times.
The Abia State Chairman of the Nigeria Medical Association (NMA), Dr Chimezie Okwuonu made this known while speaking with journalists at the 2021 edition of the Nigeria Medical Association annual General Meeting / Scientific Conference, themed: “Tissues and Organ Donation: Scope, Prospect and Ethical Challenges,” held in Awka.
He said the country has achieved success in the area of kidney donation and that a handful of hospitals in the country presently carry out kidney transplantation against what is obtainable in the past.
He said he was in support of enabling legislation to harvest vital human organs of about to die patients or dead patients in treatment of ailing patients especially those suffering kidney disease challenges.
Dr. Okwuonu who delivered a keynote paper at the event disclosed that the country has recorded over 70 Percent one year survival in both patient and Organ kidney transplantation but decried that many Nigerians die because of failure to afford transplantation.
“A lot of patients are too poor to afford kidney transplant as it takes an average of N7-10 million to get a transplant done and as a result, a lot of patients lose their lives.”
He regretted latest trend where Nigerian youths donate their organs for quick financial return blaming such evil attitude on the poor economic situation of the country.
“A lot of young Nigerians are coming up to donate to be paid financial remunerations. This financial remuneration is unethical and what we preached here today is altruistic donation. “
He commended Lagos state for passing a bill for extraction of organs from deceased persons and persons on the verge of death, noting that such bill would cease to encourage youths from indulging in organs sells.
He also said the bill was timely and would make donor organs available for Nigerians with critical cases.
Dr. Emma C. Emelumadu said Nigeria seriously lags behind on the issues of Tissues and Organ Donation which he said forms the important part of success in medicine to the extension of human life.
Emelumadu who decried fate of medical practitioners in the COVID-19 plagued world, said the event would be a wakeup call for improved medical endeavour, while he also called for a critical review for the safety of practitioners in the country.
The Anambra and Southeast NMA Chairman, Dr. Jide Onyekwelu, described the annual general meeting as an avenue to
brainstorm on new developments in healthcare delivery and dovetail
discussions to bear on the health of the people.
Dr. Onyekwelu who described the meeting as avenue to celebrate individuals that have excelled in medical practice, harped on the need of the state branch to erect befitting secretariat.
He also beckoned on healthcare partners to assist the chapter in achieving her
objective in the state through financial donations and the likes.
The local organising committee chairperson, Anambra state, Dr. Jane Ezeonu, while commending the success of the event, said it marked the beginning of the association’s 2-days AGM/Sc event which would be laced with a state ceremony, scientific sessions and panel discussions.
Lateefah Ibrahim
