A kidney transplant from a living donor was performed successfully at the public Conde de Sao Januario Hospital Centre (CHCSJ) on Sunday, Health Bureau (SSM) Director Lei Chin Ion announced on Monday during a special press conference at the hospital accompanied by other medical staff members.
The surgery, carried out by CHCSJ surgeons under the guidance of their more experienced counterparts from the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou, was the first organ transplantation performed in the city, according to Lei.
According to CHCSJ urologist Ian Lap Hong, who was in charge of the operation, the 39-year-old patient received the organ from her 54-year-old sister. “The operation went smoothly and the transplanted kidney is already functioning,” said Ian
Lei said the team debuted with a renal transplant because of its technically mature surgical procedure and its high survival rate. Moreover, Lei said he estimated that currently more than 600 local patients receive dialysis treatment, for some of whom a transplant would be a better option.
However, Macau faces an organ shortage crisis which is also a global challenge, according to CHCSJ Director Kuok Cheong U.
(Macau News / The Macau Post Daily)
