KARACHI, Dec 17: Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation’s (SIUT) transplant athletes took part in the recently-concluded 4th Middle East Transplant Games at Abu Dhabi and returned with six medals including one gold, three silver and two bronze.

Over hundred and fifty transplant athletes representing 11 Middle Eastern regions took part in the four-day event.

SIUT’s transplant athletes who claimed medals in the competition included Sufyan Arshad, who outclassed his opponents in the 100 metres swimming competition and secured the gold by finishing first.

In another category of swimming, Salman Akhtar captured the second position in breast stroke and walked away with a silver.

In the track and field events, Arshad Minhas and Salman Akhtar jointly bagged silver medals in the two kilometer relay race.

Rashid Kamal who took part in 200 metres won the bronze.

Hasan Zaman, another transplant patient, claimed the bronze in 100 metres.

The event’s organisers also invited a team of SIUT doctors along with the 10-member contingent for participation in the games.

SIUT has been sending their transplant patients to various international events in the past also.

The whole philosophy behind the participation of transplant patients to take part in sports and other social events is to show that both donor and recipients can lead normal and healthy lives after the transplant procedures.

SIUT which is the leading medical institution in the country in the field of transplantation has so far performed over three thousand kidney transplantations.

All the participating athletes had got transplantation surgeries at SIUT in the recent years.

The contingent also included Mr Mohammad Talib, a former national athlete, and Ms Fareeda Mazhar, SIUT’s Social Welfare Officer, who looks after the patients during the post transplantation period.