History: Korle Bu performs 4 kidney transplants

This novelty operation was done with the support of Transplant Links UK.

In a statement to the media, the Public Relations Department of Korle Bu said the donor operation was carried out through a keyhole surgery technique, which means that they did not have to spend long hours in hospital after the operation.

The statement said the Transplant Links team had worked with the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital since 2008, and many patients had already benefited.

It further noted that the First Sky Group fully funded the accommodation, feeding and airfare of the transplant team from UK.

The Chief Executive of the hospital, Dr Daniel Asare, who revived the kidney transplant programme, said the objective of the revival was to build local capacity so that kidney transplant became “a routine procedure that our surgeons perform”.

Korle Bu Teaching hospital ece-auto-gen

“Each donor is assessed before the operation to make sure that they are fit and well, and able to safely donate one of their kidneys. The donated kidney is then implanted into the relative with kidney failure, who has to take medications to prevent rejection,” it explained.

The transplant team at the KBTH was led by surgeons Dr Bernard Morton and Dr James Edward Mensah, and kidney specialists, Dr Vincent Bioma and Dr Dwomoa Adu.