PIMS begins free kidney transplantation

Islamabad: The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences has begun free renal transplantation. A team of experts successfully transplanted a kidney into Waheed Akhtar.

The 30-year-old, whose right kidney had stopped working, was donated kidney by his 57-year-old mother as under the law, the patients can get kidneys from the immediate blood relations only.

Surgeon Prof Tanveer Khaliq, general physician Prof Rizwan Aziz Qazi, anaesthetists Prof Iqbal Memon and Prof Shafiq Memon, nephrologist Prof Sohail Tanveer and urologist Dr Musharraf Ali Khan participated in the procedure.

The PIMS, the capital’s premier government hospital, used to transplant kidneys at a limited scale in the 90s but it got suspended due to the retirement of the transplant surgeon. Now, the renal transplantation has resumed with officials saying initially, all kidney patients will get transplant free of charge but later, the hospital will charge wealthy patients.

Meanwhile, Capital Administration and Development Division secretary Dr Saqib Aziz inaugurated the extension of PIMS pathology lab and praised the administration, especially executive director Dr Amjad Mehmood, for ensuring good patient care.

Also, a team of the government-run Japan International Cooperation Agency met the CADD secretary and discussed with him progress on various health projects funded by the agency in the federal capital. The visitors said they would visit the PIMS Children Hospital and Mother and Child Healthcare Centre to finalise matters on their extension.