By Ibrahim Shuaibu
The Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital, (AKTH) has achieved a record 57 successful transplants of the kidney done by its own team of specialists without any foreign assistance, the highest in all public institutions in Nigeria.
The Chief Medical Director of the hospital, Prof. Abba Sheshe yesterday while delivering an address at the inauguration of a donated tissue typing equipment and cross match laboratory equipment by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation, NNPC to the hospital.
He also said the AKTH has received referrals on cases related to the kidney from within and outside Nigeria such that it had treated 465,498 in 2019 alone.
He said, “A total number of 465,498 patients were treated last year. Majority were referrals from within Kano and neighbouring Jigawa, Bauchi, Katsina and Kaduna. A few were from foreign countries of of Republic of Niger, China and India.
“The renal transplant programme has initially started through aid and collaboration. This has since been indigeised. A total of 57 successful transplants of the kidney were done by our own team of specialists without any foreign or external assistance.
“This is the highest number of renal transplant in any public health institution in Nigeria. We indeed are proud of these achievements, we are indeed proud of these transplant team,” the Director stated.
In his address, the Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Mele Kolo Kyari, said that the company has installed the equipment that is first of its kind in the region.
The NNPC GMD, who was represented by one of the Directors, Abba Nuhu said “the installed equipments or reagents we are commissioning today, is the first if its kind in the entire region. Before this, the hospital sends samples of patients and their relatives to United Kingdom, paying a lot of money to do these tests but this arrangement came to an end when Ebola devastated some West African countries, whence UK government banned the entrance of biological specimen into bits country.
“Specimens now have to be sent to India and Egypt with attendant delays and inconveniences. Commissioning of this project will therefore put an end to all the time consuming process and inconveniences,” he declared.
