The two kidney transplant operations which were carried out at the Georgetown Public Hospital over the weekend spearheaded by a United States-based team have been successful and both patients and their donors are recovering.
Jairaj Singh, a 55-year-old father of four whose operation was done on Saturday, was recovering yesterday at the Intensive Care Unit of the GPHC while 56-year-old Mohammed Shariff, a father of five, of West Coast Berbice had his operation done yesterday and became the fourth person to have a successful kidney transplant locally.
According to Dr Rahul Jindal, who headed the US-based team of doctors, Shariff’s operation, which commenced around 8 yesterday morning, was completed shortly after 4 pm and he was “responding ok” to treatment. He told the man’s relatives, around 5 pm yesterday, that the man’s heart rate and his other key faculties were intact and he was expected to be transferred to the ICU sometime last evening where he would remain under observation. The man’s daughter Bibi Shariff, told this newspaper that her father had been experiencing kidney ailments for about two years. She said he had been seeking dialysis treatment three times a week, after being diagnosed with end-stage renal failure. While the woman was high in praise for the doctors who carried out the operation on her father she was equally critical of the authorities since she believed provisions should be made for patients to receive dialysis treatment at a reduced cost as she noted that it has been very expensive treating her father at the dialysis centre here. The US-based woman related that a relative of hers died sometime last week as a result of a kidney complication. The man’s relatives were also displeased with the US Embassy since they related that Shariff, who is a US citizen, was seeking to have the operation done in the US but the donor, Sabrina Carmichael, his reputed wife, was denied a visa on two occasions. Carmichael, meanwhile, is now a patient of the HDU after regaining consciousness around 3 pm yesterday.
Meanwhile 55-year-old Singh, the third person to undergo a kidney transplant locally, is recovering from his operation. When this newspaper visited the GPHC yesterday, the Diamond, East Bank Demerara resident was resting comfortably in the Intensive Care Unit of the GPHC. According to his eldest son, Suraj, his father went into the Main Operating Theatre on Saturday morning around 8 am and the operation was completed shortly after 2 pm. He said a younger brother, Biraj, donated a kidney to his father after undergoing several tests. When this newspaper visited Biraj yesterday at his bed in the High Dependency Unit of the GPHC his relatives were being briefed on his recovery by him. He told this newspaper that he was generally feeling ok except “for a little pain now and then”.
Suraj told Stabroek News that his father had been experiencing problems with his kidneys since 2007 and had been undergoing dialysis treatment locally. He said his father was grateful for the opportunity to have his surgery done in Guyana.
The man’s eldest son expressed appreciation to the authorities for his father being able to be treated at the GPHC. He said it is a step in the right direction and he reasoned that it is good for the medical development of the country.
The Indian born-Dr Jindal has been spearheading the kidney operations at the GPHC from the inception and his team which participated in yesterday’s operation included transplant surgeon, Dr Edward Falta, also of the US with a local team providing support.
The first successful kidney transplant surgery was completed at the GPHC in July last year when 18-year-old Munesh Mangal was provided with a kidney by his mother Leelkumarie Mangal. In February this year 47-year- old Winston George had his surgery successfully completed after receiving a kidney from his daughter Melissa.
