Photos: DELSUTH's First Kidney Transplant Medical Team Express Their Elation; Governor Uduaghan Amongst

Far beyond the expectation of Deltans, Nigerians and the International Community, the Delta State University Teaching Hospital, DELSUTH, Oghara, on Monday, achieved a medical feat with a successful kidney transplant.

The operation involved the replacement of a patient’s two diseased kidneys with one provided by
a healthy donor.

It would be recalled that the hospital has earlier carried out hip-bone and knee cap replacement surgery and the Governor had last year assured Deltans that there will be kidney transplant in the hospital this year.

Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, a Medical Doctor who was also among the medical team
in the theatre during the operation, expressed joy at the development.“This is a happy day for me as we are able to provide this service.I know we were well prepared for this surgery and we also have a good post-surgery team.” Governor Uduaghan said.

He noted that kidney transplant was still considered a rare feat in the medical field in the country and another major medical breakthrough for the hospital.
Uduaghan said treatment is subsidized to make it affordable to the indigenes.
“What they will charge here will be lower than what obtains anywhere else. About two years ago, we started subsidising dialysis, bringing it down from N20,000 to N5,000. It is for the indigenes.”

He disclosed that, "the hospital is overflowing with patients, so we are planning to expand bed facilities by putting up a three hundred bed ward for this hospital," adding that DELSUTH has gone into a five year partnership with UT South-Western Medical Centre, Dallas.

Dr Ogochukwu Okoye (LEFT), Dr Bemigho Ayo(MIDDLE)

Dr Bemigho Ayo was also part of the medical team and gave the assurance that "The post transplant care is very important.... No worries. The drugs and the support system is set for the patients. Free drug supplies for the first one year and will be subsidized subsequently. We cant ask for more. Gov. Uduaghan and the entire delta state government has indeed done very well."

Dr Ogochukwu Okoye,a Nephrologist at DELSUTH who was also part of the medical team also expressed her joy as she said "History is made today, as DELSUTH performs her first Kidney Transplant! God is with Us!"



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.

May God continue to bless The Big Heart as it moves on to conquer other territories!