Yemen’s First Renal Transplant Making History [Archives:1998/21/Front Page]

It was Sunday morning, May 24th. The air was heavy with anxiety and anticipation at Al-Thawrah Hospital in Sanaa. It was 11:00 sharp when the patient and his donor relative were rolled into the operation ward.
A group of doctors were making history. They were carrying out Yemen’s first kidney transplant.
The Yemeni team of doctors was headed by Dr. Ibrahim Nunu. A group of Egyptian doctors were also at hand to help.
The patient and the donor are reported to be in stable condition, though still under close supervision. “Once the next 24 hours pass by safely, we can conclude that the operation is a success,” said Dr. Nunu.
Abdullah Abdul-Wali Nasher, Minister of Health, has been one of the key supporters of this development. Visibly upbeat, he described the operation as a “major milestone in the medical history of Yemen.”
A representative of the Association of Yemeni Kidney Patients, who attended the event, was more cautious, though, he saw hope in this development for the members of his organization. “This is a big step in forward. But we need to wait and see, because there are still many problems. You know this patient had to be shipped to Hajjah Hospital for dialysis as this services is not available at Al-Thawra Hospital,” he said.
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