23 year old recipient is recovering and organ is functioning normally

Abu Dhabi, April 30, 2013: In a landmark surgery in for UAE, Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, owned and operated by Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA) carried out kidney transfer and transplant from a deceased donor from Saudi Arabia to a 23 years old Abu Dhabi patient.

The kidney transfer and transplant were accomplished successfully and the patient, a 23 year old female who has suffered kidney failure for 16 years,  is improving daily.  The organ is functioning normally and she is no longer on dialysis. 

Commenting on this remarkable achievement, H.E Saif Bader Al Qubaisi, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Health Services Company  commented that the success is further evidence of SEHA's commitment to provide world-class healthcare services to the residents of Abu Dhabi. He added that the current organ transplant program is supported extensively by Her Highness Sheikha Fatima Bint Mubarak, Chairwoman of the General Women's Union, Supreme Chairwoman of the Family Development Foundation (FDF) and Chairwoman of Supreme Council for Motherhood and Childhood.who sponsored the Middle East Society of Organ Transplantation conference recently held in the capital Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Ali Abdulkareem al-Obaidli, Chief Clinical Officer at SEHA, related the story of the patient recipient.  Latifa Sai'ed, born and raised in the UAE, suffered from a rare syndrome that resulted in kidney failure at the age of 7.  She had been on dialysis for 16 years ever since and endured multiple problems and issues common to long term dialysis patients such as blood clots, inflammations and painful procedures such as cathertization.     

In spite of all that suffering, Dr. Ali said that Latifa has always been full of hope and love for life.  She had been keen on continuing her studies regardless of her medical condition, and she faced it all without losing her smile and generous spirit.  And then word was received that a young man was lost his life in a traffic accident in Saudi Arabia.  His family, although crushed with grief at his death, decided immediately to donate his organs to help save the lives of those needing organ transplants who might be a tissue match to their son. 

The UAE is a signatory to the Organ Transplantation Agreement  between GCC countries. The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties and the Saudi Centre for Organ Transplantation put out the word on the organs that would become available.  Tests showed that Latifa was a near perfect match for the organ and arrangements were made to harvest the organ and rush it from Saudi to the UAE by jet as time was of the essence.  Tremendous efforts were required by individuals at the Ministry of Health, Health Authority-Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Airport Commission, UAE Customs and other Federal and Abu Dhabi agencies to ensure delivery of the organ to SKMC.  Latifa was thrilled to hear that she would be a recipient as she was prepped for the operation that would change her life for the better if the organ arrived in time, if the transplant was a success and if the organ functioned normally as hoped.

A medical team of specialists was assembled and led by Dr. Ammar Abdulbaki and Dr. Mohammed Badar Zaman, Head of Transplantation and Hepatobiliary at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, as well as Dr. Basheer Sankari, organ transplantation consultant and Chief of Surgery department at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi and a support team of transplant coordinators, attending physicians, specialist nurses and technicians.

Al Qubaisi praised the efforts of surgeons and medical team in both the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City and Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi as well as all the parties involved in the success of this process and thanked the team in charge of this program in The Saudi Commission for Health Specialties and the Saudi Centre for Organ Transplantation for the kidney donation and their continued support and help. He also praised the valuable efforts exerted by the Ministry of Health, the Health Authority - Abu Dhabi and the Organ Transplant Committee for supporting the organ transplantation program in the UAE. Lastly he praised and thanked the aggrieved family of the donor for their generous and selfless act of kindness in making the donation from their beloved son.

He added, "The expansion and success of the renal transplant program is another step to create a full service public health care system that is equal to the best systems in the world.  As this program expands and more organs become availableit becomes possible to treat patients who need kidney transplants within the state without them having to travel abroad to seek treatments. This reduces their suffering by letting them stay in the country with their families, receive the social support needed and facilitate their regular medical appointments with doctors in order to follow up closely on their condition."

A delegation from the Health Authority - Abu Dhabi and SEHA, including Dr Maha Barakat, Director General of the Health Authority - Abu Dhabi, Carl Stanifer Chief Executive in SEHA, Rashed Al Qubaisi, CEO, AHS, Dr Ali Obaidli Chief Medical Officer at SEHA and Fred DeGrandis, CEO of Sheikh Khalifa Medical city, visited Latifa after the operation to check on her health.

Dr. Muhammad Badar Zaman,  remarked that the kidney transfer from Saudi Arabia to UAE needed great deal of coordination and planning, but thanks to the great support provided by SEHA and those in charge of it, along with the excellent medical staff at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City, the kidney was transferred to the UAE and transplanted  successfully. 

Dr. Muhammad Badar Zaman extended his sincere gratitude to the medical, nursing and technical staffs working at the Medical City, especially Dr. Ammar Abdulbaki, and Dr. Basheer Sankari, as well as many others who exerted great efforts and worked for long hours in preparation for the successful surgery.

Dr. Ali Abdulkareem al-Obaidli, Chairman of The National Organ Transplantation Committee and member of the Gulf Organ Transplantation Committee said, "This cooperation falls under the umbrella of the Organ Transplantation Agreement between GCC member countries. And in this context, I would like to thank the Saudi Council of Health Services and The Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation, as well as all the relevant authorities in the UAE for facilitating all logistic operations related to transferring the kidney and delivering it in time to the patient in Sheikh Khalifa Medical City. I too extend my thanks to the generous family who made this donation and saved this girl's life". 
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City has conducted 75 kidney transplants, all from living related donors in the past. Amongst them there were 7 children, the youngest being 4 years old, while the oldest 64 years old.  However, this was the first transplant ever from a deceased donor. 

Organ Transplantation & Hepatobiliary

SKMC Transplant is a multidisciplinary program responsible for providing comprehensive organ transplant services and care to patients requiring organ transplants. The Division of Transplantation and Hepatobiliary Surgery was established in 2007 and is the sole transplant program in the UAE. To date, the team has performed more than 75 living related kidney transplants with a success rate comparable to the best international standards. All transplants are done with living related donors, and the majority of donors receive laparoscopic surgery to remove the donated kidney. Transplant team members are committed to providing the highest quality transplant services in a family-centered environment. Our uniquely qualified staff work with the patient, family and referring physician to ensure optimal treatment before, during and after transplant. The transplantation team consists of highly experienced and internationally trained professionals including transplant surgeons, Transplant nephrologists, pharmacists, urologists and transplant coordinators and administrative staff. The team does a very complete and thorough evaluation of donors and patients to ascertain that the transplant proceeds as smoothly as possible with minimal risks. This evaluation includes potential assessments by cardiologists, nephrologists, psychologists, transplant surgeons, and others as indicated. Transplant coordinators are available to guide patients and families through this process, coordinate the required assessments for organ transplant candidates and their donors, and provide patients and families with information.

The Division provides all patients transplanted at SKMC with lifelong comprehensive and multidisciplinary follow-up care, which includes very close management of individualized immunosuppressive protocols. The transplant team manages all other long-term sequelae of immunosuppressive medications and organ transplantation including monitoring of bone density, cholesterol profiles, long-term cardiac risk and transplant-induced diabetes.

Summary of Services provided:

- Complete evaluation of donors and recipients

- Living related renal transplantation

- Adult and pediatric renal transplantation

- Comprehensive post-transplant care

- Individualized immunosuppression protocols

- Desensitization regimen for cross-match positive transplants

- Liver tumor associated services - liver resection, radio frequency ablation (RFA), trans-arterial chemo-embolization (TACE) and chemotherapy

About SKMC managed by Cleveland Clinic
Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC) is located in Abu Dhabi City, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, and operates under the management of Cleveland Clinic, consistently named by U.S. News and World Report as one of the nation's best hospitals in its annual "America's Best Hospitals" survey. SKMC is owned by SEHA, the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company, recently established to oversee operations of all public hospitals in the Emirate. SKMC is the flagship institution for the public health system in Abu Dhabi and has several 'Centers of Excellence', and aspires to practice contemporary medicine comparable to the best hospitals and medical centers in the world. SKMC provides comprehensive healthcare services in all of the disciplines relevant to the needs and priorities of the community to attain the highest levels of patient satisfaction.

SKMC, the largest hospital and medical city in the UAE, consists of 568-bed Tertiary Hospital, 14 outpatient specialty clinics and the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank, all of which are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI). SKMC is also accredited as a Cycle III Chest Pain Center with Primary Angioplasty Intervention; and is accredited by the College of American Pathologists (CAP) for its Main Laboratory and the Abu Dhabi Blood Bank. In addition, SKMC manages a 125-bed Behavioral Sciences Pavilion and 2 Urgent Care Centers. For further information, please contact us at marketing@skmc.gov.ae or visit www.skmc.ae.

About (SEHA):
SEHA is health in Arabic.  The Abu Dhabi Health Services Company PJSC- whose marketing identity is SEHA - is an independent, public joint stock company created to develop the curative activities of the public healthcare system in Abu Dhabi. The company owns and operates all the public hospitals and clinics of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi which together make up the SEHA HealthSystem.  SEHA is committed to continuous improvement of customer care to recognized international standards and providing our customers and communities served world class healthcare.  SEHA has partnered with internationally recognized hospital managers to achieve these goals.  These include Johns Hopkins Medicine International, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, VAMED, Medical University of Vienna, Bumrungrad International and Fresenius Medical Care.  SEHA owns and operates 12 hospitals with 2,644 beds, 62 ambulatory care, family care and urgent care centers and 2 blood banks.  SEHA is one of the largest integrated healthcare providers in the Middle East with more than 17,000 doctors, nurses, ancillary care and administrative personnel in its employ.  Visit our website at www.seha.ae.

For further information contact:
Salama Al Mazrouei,
Corporate Marketing Communication Manager
02-410-2317
smazrouei@seha.ae

© Press Release 2013