* QF entity highlights ability to urgently mobilise specialist teams to perform transplants from deceased donors
A 15-year-old girl, who was on dialysis for four years before she matched with a donor in Qatar, has become Sidra Medicine’s first recipient of an organ from a deceased donor, ending years of agony and the stress of living with chronic kidney failure.
The receipient, described as N in a statement Monday, received a kidney from a deceased 26 year old, whose family gave permission to donate his organs, in one of the first donation
and transplant procedures performed in Qatar since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The process was done in co-ordination with the Qatar Center for Organ Transplantation (QCOT), which works closely with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Sidra Medicine.
The new deceased donor program for children is considered a medical emergency, with donor suitability decided on an immediate basis. If the recipient is a paediatric kidney patient, QCOT works with HMC to harvest the organ from the deceased donor and preserve
it, before arranging for its safe and urgent transfer to Sidra Medicine.
Dr Abubakr Imam, the division chief of Nephrology from Sidra Medicine said: “Since opening our hospital in November 2018, we have performed three paediatric kidney transplant operations at Sidra Medicine. However those cases involved the child receiving the organ from a living parent. N’s transplantation surgery is a first for Sidra Medicine, where a young person received an organ from a deceased donor, who is not related to them. This process of deceased organ donation, will change the face of organ
transplantations and offer hope for many children and young people suffering from chronic organ failure. I would like to thank the team at HMC and QOTC for their excellent co-ordination and support. Our combined efforts will positively impact the lives of other children in need of donor kidneys.”
N’s mother said: “My daughter has a long history with autoimmune disease and kidney failure. She was registered with the QCOT and we were performing dialysis, first at HMC and then at Sidra Medicine, for almost four years before we received a call from QCOT that changed our lives. While undergoing a transplant is not an easy journey, the support and care from the excellent team at Sidra Medicine, made the whole process smooth and reassuring. We knew we were in safe hands, and this has been validated by the patient and family approach to care they have shown us.”
Once the kidney was harvested from the deceased donor at HMC, Sidra Medicine quickly mobilised its specialist paediatric nephrology, urology transplant surgeons and co-ordinators, clinical pharmacists, operating room and anesthesia team, paediatric ICU to receive the organ and immediately rushed N into surgery.
N’s transplantation surgery, which took three hours, was performed at Sidra Medicine by Dr. Pippi Salle, division chief of Urology and Dr Bruno Leslie.
N's mother added: “We are also incredibly grateful to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani as well as HE the Minister of Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari for making Qatar’s world-class healthcare services accessible and affordable for everyone living in the country, especially for us parents who have children with special needs.”
The receipient, described as N in a statement Monday, received a kidney from a deceased 26 year old, whose family gave permission to donate his organs, in one of the first donation
 Dr Bruno Leslie |
The process was done in co-ordination with the Qatar Center for Organ Transplantation (QCOT), which works closely with Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and Sidra Medicine.
The new deceased donor program for children is considered a medical emergency, with donor suitability decided on an immediate basis. If the recipient is a paediatric kidney patient, QCOT works with HMC to harvest the organ from the deceased donor and preserve
 Dr Pippe Salle |
Dr Abubakr Imam, the division chief of Nephrology from Sidra Medicine said: “Since opening our hospital in November 2018, we have performed three paediatric kidney transplant operations at Sidra Medicine. However those cases involved the child receiving the organ from a living parent. N’s transplantation surgery is a first for Sidra Medicine, where a young person received an organ from a deceased donor, who is not related to them. This process of deceased organ donation, will change the face of organ
 Dr Abubakr Imam |
N’s mother said: “My daughter has a long history with autoimmune disease and kidney failure. She was registered with the QCOT and we were performing dialysis, first at HMC and then at Sidra Medicine, for almost four years before we received a call from QCOT that changed our lives. While undergoing a transplant is not an easy journey, the support and care from the excellent team at Sidra Medicine, made the whole process smooth and reassuring. We knew we were in safe hands, and this has been validated by the patient and family approach to care they have shown us.”
Once the kidney was harvested from the deceased donor at HMC, Sidra Medicine quickly mobilised its specialist paediatric nephrology, urology transplant surgeons and co-ordinators, clinical pharmacists, operating room and anesthesia team, paediatric ICU to receive the organ and immediately rushed N into surgery.
N’s transplantation surgery, which took three hours, was performed at Sidra Medicine by Dr. Pippi Salle, division chief of Urology and Dr Bruno Leslie.
N's mother added: “We are also incredibly grateful to His Highness the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani as well as HE the Minister of Health Dr Hanan Mohamed al-Kuwari for making Qatar’s world-class healthcare services accessible and affordable for everyone living in the country, especially for us parents who have children with special needs.”
