11-year-old sister donates bone marrow

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 5: In a new historic achievement a specialized Kuwaiti medical team headed by Dr. Sundus Al-Sharida succeeded in performing the second stem cells transplant operation of a bone marrow from a donor to her sister who suffers from sickle cell anemia.

The donor sister is 11 years old. This new achievement comes a few weeks after the success of the first stem cell transplant in the country, and days after the success of the first liver transplantation performed by an integrated Kuwaiti medical team.

On this occasion, Minister of Health Sheikh Dr. Basil Al-Sabah expressed his pride in this achievement and the sincere national medical staff who participated in achieving this success - in the successful planning of organ transplantation programs, and concerted efforts to improve the health system in the country, and to provide health care according to the highest international quality standards.

Giving the details, the Ministry indicated that a series of preparations and equipment preceded over a period of about two months to ensure that the stem cells required being implanted matched the patient through medical examinations.

It is reported that the medical team, according to the results of the medical examinations and reports of the patient and the donor, decided to conduct the operation after completing all preparations for the operation, which took about 3 hours, and was preceded by the process of collecting cells from the donor, which took about two and a half hours and both were successful. The patient was suffering from acute and chronic sickle cell pain and severe complications, which, according to what had been decided by the team treating the case, required the transplantation of stem cells from the bone marrow.

The ministry stated that the medical team that performed the operation, was headed by Dr. Sundus Al-Shraideh.the team included Dr. Samar Rifat from the Yaqoub Behbehani Center, Dr. Dalal Al-Shammari, Dr. Brigitta Antoine and Dr. El-Shazly Abdel-Hafez, in addition to a nursing and technical staff with a high level of experience and qualification.

By Marwa Al-Bahra
Al Seyassah Staff