Child kidney recipient makes history in Dubai
Nine-year-old girl is first child in the emirate to get organ from deceased donor
Anine-year-old girl has become the first child recipient of kidney from a deceased donor in Dubai, it was announced yesterday.
The kidney transplant surgery of Sudanese national Bana Nizar Hassan was performed by a joint medical team from Al Jalila Children’s Hospital, and Mohammad Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU).
The team was led by MBRU’s prominent transplant surgeons Dr David Hickey, Professor of Surgery and Dr Farhad Al Janahi, Assistant Professor of Surgery. The lead surgeon, Dr Hickey, former director of the National Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Programme in Ireland, has performed over 2,000 transplants, trained transplant surgeons from around the world, and published over 130 peer reviewed scientific papers.
Hassan was born with just one kidney, a condition called renal agenesis, which affects around one in 1,000 children.
10 government health entities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi worked together to ensure that the kidney from a deceased donor in Abu Dhabi was transplanted within the critical 12-hour window
In a major medical milestone for Dubai, the Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital carried out the first successful paediatric kidney transplant on a 9-year-old girl, it was announced yesterday.
Sudanese national Bana Nizar Hassan became the happy recipient of a cadaver kidney that saved her life and made her the first child to receive an organ from a deceased donor in Dubai, according to the Government of Dubai Media Office.
The surgery was performed by a joint medical team from Al Jalila Children’s hospital, and Mohammad Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU). The team was led by MBRU’s prominent transplant surgeons Dr David Hickey, Professor of Surgery and Dr Farhad Al Janahi, Assistant Professor of Surgery.
The lead surgeon, Dr Hickey, former director of the National Kidney and Pancreas Transplant Programme in Ireland, has performed over 2,000 transplants, trained transplant surgeons from around the world, and published over 130 peer reviewed scientific papers.
A total of 10 government health entities in Dubai and Abu Dhabi worked together to ensure that the kidney from a deceased donor in Abu Dhabi was transplanted within the critical 12hour window.
In addition to Al Jalila Children’s hospital and MBRU, Dubai Healthcare City Authority (DHCA), the Ministry of Health and Prevention (MOHAP) and its National Transplant Committee, Al Jalila Foundation, Abu Dhabi Police, Abu Dhabi Health Services Co. (SEHA), Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and Shaikh Khalifa Medical City were involved.
Hassan was born with just one kidney, a condition called renal agenesis, which affects around one in 1,000 children. The fivehour surgery done recently will enable her to live her life without a problem. She has been discharged from the hospital.
Dr Abdullah Al Khayyat, CEO of Al Jalila Children’s, said: “We have just witnessed a defining moment in the history of Dubai’s paediatric health care system and Al Jalila Children’s is proud to have become a contributor to that history.”
He added: “Apart from this being an incredible medical achievement, what we’ve seen is exemplary cooperation between 10 different entities in Dubai and
We have just witnessed a defining moment in the history of Dubai’s paediatric health care system and Al Jalila Children’s is proud to have become a contributor to that history.” Dr Abdullah Al Khayyat | CEO of Al Jalila Children’s Speciality Hospital
Abu Dhabi that came together in virtually no time to make this surgery possible. This is the first of many to come and we are on track to ensuring that Dubai is the hub of paediatric health care in the region by contributing to UAE’s 2021 vision for the health sector. While we celebrate this milestone, we must not forget the kindness and generosity of the donor that made it possible for Bana to start life anew.”
Dr Amer Sharif, Vice Chancellor of MBRU and CEO of DHCA’s Education sector said: “We are proud of the efforts of the joint team from MBRU and Al Jalila Children’s, our clinical academic affiliate, who were involved in this historic moment in UAE health care. This milestone was achieved through the visionary leadership of DHCA.”
Dr Al Janahi, who assisted Dr Hickey in the transplant told Gulf News: “Our team has carried out five kidney transplants and it is the first time a child has been the recipient of a kidney transplant in Dubai. This just indicates that deceased organ transplantation programme is progressing well in Dubai.”
A visibly relieved Nizar Hassan Yousuf, father of young Bana, said: “We have been suffering for nine years now. We knew that there was something wrong with my daughter’s kidneys before she was even born. What we feel now is beyond words; it feels like we all have a new life to start together. It is also extremely overwhelming for us to see so many people from different entities across the UAE come together to treat my baby. ‘Thank you’ is not enough for them.”