PESHAWAR: The first beneficiary of legal kidney transplant carried out successfully under the Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority (MTRA) is set to leave hospital early next week after getting a new lease of life.

Umaid Khan, 23, who underwent the renal transplant on May 26 at the Institute of Kidney Diseases, Hayatabad, can leave the hospital’s bed on Monday (tomorrow), but he would have to remain on lifelong oral medication, Prof Asif Malik, administrator MTRA, told Dawn.

Mr Khan, who was donated kidney by his elder sister, said he was overjoyed upon his health condition now. “I have been on dialysis for the past 18 months, which was a cumbersome and money-consuming process, but now I have been passing urine without any difficulty. I can walk. All this became possible due to the IKD’s staff,” he said.

The Medical Transplantation Regulatory Authority Act, 2014, seeks to regulate transplantation in the province by the government, put brakes on illegal transplantations and encourage hospitals with available infrastructures to start procedures and save lives.

The health department granted recognition to IKD for kidney transplant in line with MTRA in February with a view to start legal transplants in the province. Prof Malik, who is renal transplant surgeon at IKD, has been entrusted with the responsibility to promote organ donation and transplantation in the province within the legal framework to benefit the people.

Prof Malik, who led the team of doctors involved in the transplant, said the patient would undergo follow-ups every week for the first few months after which he could start normal life. “The transplant, costing about Rs1.5million in private sector, has been done totally free. We have 15 patients who are waiting to be implanted kidneys which we would take from their close relatives,” he said.

Prof Malik said that Pakistan had earned notoriety due to organ trafficking in the past few years which prompted the policymakers to draft a law with all the stakeholders that was sent to the National Assembly, which was then not in session. Hence, the President promulgated an ordinance on Sept 4, 2007 that was converted into Human Organs Transplant Authority 2010. Following 18th Amendment, KP established its own MTRA, he said. Deputy administrator MTRA Dr Fazal Majeed said they had developed proper SOPs prior to carrying out transplants. “Before, we go for preparation of patients we carry out extensive search about the donor’s relation with the recipients. We check all credentials of both from the record of Nadra to ensure that the whole process take place within legitimate parameters,” he said.

Dr Majeed, who has to his credit the experience of working in Human Organ Transplant Authority of the federal government, said that they had established intensive care unit and had put in place several committees to ensure that most people get new lives through transplants besides registration of more institutes to expand legal transplantation in the province.

“We have got modern beds for ICU because the patients need extensive healthcare services following transplantation. In every transplant, w involve nephrologists, transplant surgeons, cardiologist, anaesthesiologist, physician, endocrinologist, psychiatrist and dental surgeon as the procedure is highly sensitive warranting more care,” Dr Majeed said.

He said that they had also given provincial recognition to the Rehman Medical Institute and North West General Hospital for renal transplantation. “Any institution can apply for starting transplants on specified forms developed by MTRA,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 10th, 2018