The Chief Medical Director of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Professor Wale Oke, has announced that a successful kidney transplant was performed by a team of indigenous medical experts in the hospital.
Professor Wale Oke, explained that the institution has perfected plans to make the feat a routine and the kidney transplant is a result of the state government’s determination to stem medical tourism.
According to him:
“Cases of 60 percent of patients seen on wheel chairs at international airport here in Lagos have to do with kidneys, and most of them go to India or the US for transplant. A lot of foreign exchange are also involved.
One thing unique about this exercise is that the experts were all Nigerians and from LASUTH apart from one.”
The elated Chief Medical Director, who explained that a total of two successful transplants were carried out at an affordable cost. He disclosed that the surgery costed about ₦4.5 million compare to ₦8 million charged elsewhere.
Warning that LASUTH would not accept commercial donors for organ transplant, he said right now the cost of the surgery covers cost of drugs for a period of six months.
In his words:
“What we are doing now is family donation. We are also looking at going into heart transplant. We encourage Nigerians to come to the hospital for their kidney transplant at an affordable cost.”