Gaza may soon be one of the best kidney transplant centres in the region, says British doctor

The head of a British medical delegation performing kidney transplants in the Gaza Strip announced on Wednesday that the territory may soon become one of the best centres for such operations in the region, Safa news agency has reported.

According to a statement issued by the Palestinian ministry of health, Mr Abdel Kader Hammad said that his delegation has been sponsoring a sustainable programme for years aiming to end the suffering of patients with renal problems and kidney failure in Gaza. He pointed out that specialist medical equipment similar to or better than that found in developed countries has recently arrived in the coastal enclave.

Mr Hammad is the clinical director and consultant transplant surgeon of the Sir Peter Medawar Transplant Unit at Britain’s Royal Liverpool University Hospital. The next step, he said, is to train doctors from Gaza on how to operate and use the new equipment.

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He explained that kidney transplantation has become almost commonplace thanks to the high skill levels of the doctors in Gaza, boosted by their counterparts in the British delegation. The thirteen kidney transplants performed in the territory so far have a 92 per cent success rate. “This is one of the best rates in the world,” the surgeon added.

After carrying out a kidney transplant operation on Wednesday, Hammad said that the results were good and both the patient and the donor are in a “stable” condition.

The British team is scheduled to carry out and supervise eight kidney transplants during the current visit to the Gaza Strip in coordination with local doctors, who will be gaining a lot of practical experience in the process.

Due to the 10-year Israeli siege on Gaza, patients suffer a great deal when they need urgent medical treatment. Requests for permission to travel to hospitals in Israel, the occupied West Bank or elsewhere are often refused or ignored by the Israeli authorities.

A number of specialist medical charities and doctors from around the world have implemented training and support programmes for their Palestinian colleagues in Gaza. The aim is to develop the medical sector so that patients will not have to seek treatment abroad.