The Ministry of Health has just established a Working Group to assess the conditions for performing the technique of kidney removal and transplantation from living people and brain-dead donors at Vietnam - Sweden Uong Bi Hospital, Quang Ninh.
This is the first provincial hospital nationwide to organize the implementation of multi-organ removal from brain-dead people, thereby saving the lives of 7 other patients in April 2024.
Immediately after this organ removal, the Hospital has developed a project to remove and transplant kidneys from living donors and brain-dead donors, with the goal of being able to implement it right at the unit in the second quarter of 2025. For more than a year, the Hospital has been actively preparing all aspects, ensuring conditions for performing techniques to achieve the highest results.
Regarding the process, the Hospital has established a specialized Steering Committee for kidney transplantation; brain-dead diagnosis council; Organ transplant consultation council... Regarding facilities, the Hospital has established an Artificial kidney Running Area; Intensive Care - Resuscitation after brain death area; kidney removal - transplantation surgery area; Post-operative resuscitation area... The surgical and resuscitation treatment area system after transplantation ensures closed, one-way, positive air pressure. Equipment systems such as ultrasound machines, MRI machines, CT- sc scanner machines, dialysis machines, ECMO artificial heart and lung machines, testing systems, kidney endoscopy machines, anesthesia machines, surgical knives, etc. are modern and synchronously equipped. The hospital has also signed a cooperation agreement with Viet Duc Friendship Hospital, receiving technical transfer, professional support, and continuous training for 6 months for 60 doctors and nurses in all stages of the kidney collection and transplantation process.
After listening to the report and inspecting the unit directly, the Ministry of Health's Working Group highly appreciated the efforts and determination of Vietnam - Sweden Uong Bi Hospital in implementing the technique of organ collection - transplantation right at the facility, affirming that this is an important step in expanding the national organ donation - transplant network, especially after the unit successfully implemented the work of collecting multiple organs from brain-dead donors for transplantation to many others. When implemented, these will be the first kidney transplants nationwide to be implemented at a medical unit under the management of the province.
The working group affirmed that Vietnam - Sweden Uong Bi Hospital has basically ensured the conditions for the implementation of kidney removal and transplantation in the coming time.
Vietnam - Sweden Uong Bi Hospital strives to ensure compliance with the plan to deploy the first kidney transplants in the second quarter of 2025 and will then deploy this technique. The hospital will also develop projects and plans to implement liver and other organ transplants right at the unit, so that patients in Quang Ninh as well as neighboring areas can enjoy high-quality medical services right in the area, in the region, domestically without having to transfer to another country or go abroad.
Currently, in Quang Ninh province, there are nearly 1,000 patients with kidney disease as well as kidney failure, 30% of whom are indicated for kidney transplantation. In addition to Vietnam - Sweden Uong Bi Hospital, Quang Ninh General Hospital is also on the roadmap to build and complete the kidney removal - transplantation process.
