KUWAIT CITY, Nov 1: Within the framework of the keenness of the Ministry of Health to develop health services in the country, and the introduction of new programs for organ transplant, the Ministry said the first stem cell transplant operation was performed at the National Bank for Children Hospital in the Al-Sabah Specialized Health District on a 3-year-old girl, reports Al-Qabas daily.

The Ministry said a specialized medical team has succeeded in performing the stem cell transplant at the National Bank of Kuwait Hospital for Children, for a 3-year-old girl suffering from primary neuron cancer. The Ministry expresses its pride in this achievement which is the first of its kind at the National Bank Hospital.

The ministry said the process preceded several preparatory stages, which included collecting the patient’s stem cells and undergoing surgery to remove the cancerous tumor, in addition to receiving chemotherapy. The little girl was admitted to the hospital’s stem cell transplant wing 3 weeks ago to prepare her for the operation.

The medical team that performed the operation included a group of national competencies headed by Dr Sundus Al-Shraideh, consultant of pediatric stem cell transplantation, and the head of the Department of Hematology and Cancer Dr Mona Burhama, and the adult stem cell transplantation team Dr Salem Al-Shammari and Dr Samar Refaat, in addition to a highly qualified nursing and technical staff.