KUWAIT CITY, Dec 25: The Ministry of Health has announced that Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital’s kidney transplant program has set a new record, performing 149 successful kidney transplants in 2024. This surpasses the previous record of 140 surgeries conducted in 2023.

Dr. Saja Sorour, Head of the Organ Transplant Department at Jaber Hospital, expressed her pride in the achievement, noting that it reflects the hospital’s commitment to providing top-quality healthcare services to its patients. She emphasized that the record was made possible through the collaborative efforts of the medical teams and support specialists at the hospital. Dr. Sorour also stressed the hospital’s ongoing commitment to increasing the number of kidney transplants for patients with kidney failure in the upcoming year.

“This achievement marks an important milestone in the development of kidney transplant services in Kuwait,” she said, adding her appreciation for the support provided by the Ministry of Health, particularly Minister Dr. Ahmad Al-Awadhi and Undersecretary Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi. She also praised the significant contributions of the medical teams and national initiatives that made this success possible.

Dr. Colin Foreman, Organ Transplant Consultant at Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital, highlighted that the opening of the Organ Transplant Department in March 2024 resulted in a significant shift in the hospital’s transplant program. He explained that the availability of various medical specialties at the hospital has greatly enhanced the efficiency of the program, enabling the team to perform more complex transplant surgeries, especially for patients with serious medical conditions or obesity.

This progress has led to a considerable expansion of the program, with the number of transplant surgeries performed nearly doubling compared to previous years. Dr. Foreman attributed this success to the exceptional capabilities provided by the hospital.

It is worth noting that the Ministry of Health launched the Organ Transplant Department at Jaber Hospital in March, along with the National Kidney Transplant Program through Family Exchange. This pioneering initiative aims to improve the chances of patients in need of kidney transplants by expanding the pool of potential donors, ultimately enhancing the success rates of the procedures and reducing the suffering of patients in need.