A team at Hamad General Hospital’s Organ Donation Centre has successfully performed the fourth liver transplant operation in Qatar.
The surgical team was led by Liver and Pancreas Transplant senior consultant surgeon Dr Hatem Khalaf, who is also an elected chairman of the Arab Liver Transplantation Society.
The liver was donated by a 33-year-old Sri Lankan national and the recipient was a 49-year-old Egyptian patient who had been suffering from liver failure due to Hepatitis C since 1995.
The patient has been on the transplant waiting list since May 2011.
Dr Khalaf said there are currently 12 patients on the liver transplant waiting list, most suffering from liver cancer.
HMC has been performing liver transplant surgeries since 2011.
Noting that the surgery lasted six hours and was performed without complications, Dr Khalaf said the liver transplant recipient spent two days in the intensive care unit (ICU) before being discharged from hospital 10 days after surgery.
He added that the liver transplant surgery was recommended for the patient in order to prevent the deterioration of his health.
HMC Surgery Department chairman and consultant surgeon Dr Abdulla al-Ansari said HMC’s transplantation programme is continuing to grow and improve and that preparations are being made to launch a liver transplantation programme for living donors.
“Since its establishment, HMC’s liver transplantation programme has been witnessing great improvement. The launch of the Qatar Organ Donation Centre - Hibah, and the support shown by HH Sheikha Moza bint Nasser with her registering as an organ donor, led to a significant increase in the number of registered donors,”  he said.
Organ Transplantation Department head and consultant Dr Yousef al-Maslamani said organ transplant surgeries are being performed under the Doha Donation Accord.
“If the donor is deceased, we would provide social support for the family and cover the cost of repatriation, among other things. We want to honour our donors, as they have given this precious gift to someone who desperately needed it,” Dr al-Maslamani said.
Meanwhile, Dr Khalaf praised the role of Infectious Diseases senior consultant Dr Muna al-Maslamani in the observation of the transplant recipient before and after the operation and also senior Liver Transplant co-ordinator Rossini Jovero for her efforts in co-ordinating with the donor’s family to seek approvals required to complete the transplant.
The liver transplant recipient, who has been living in Qatar for 20 years, extended his thanks to the Qatar and HMC, as well as the donor’s family.
“I thank the donor’s family so much for granting me with their consent to receive the liver and save my life and put an end to my suffering. I also wish to thank the State of Qatar, HMC, and all my doctors, surgeons and nurses for their kind support and expert care. I pray to God to cure all the other patients who are still waiting for donations,” he said.