6 May, 2013

First kidney transplant from deceased donor in UAE

In a landmark surgery in the UAE, a hospital carried out a kidney transfer and transplant from a deceased donor from Saudi Arabia to a 23-year-old woman patient from Abu Dhabi. The surgery was done at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical City (SKMC), owned and operated by the Abu Dhabi Health Services Company (SEHA).

The health of the patient, Latifa Sai’ed, who had suffered kidney problems for 16 years, is said to be improving daily. The organ is functioning normally and she is no longer on dialysis.

Ali Abdulkareem al-Obaidli, chief clinical officer at SEHA, spoke about the patient recipient.

Latifa Sai’ed, born and raised in the UAE, suffered from a rare syndrome that resulted in kidney failure at the age of seven. She was on dialysis for 16 years ever since and endured multiple problems common to long-term dialysis patients, such as blood clots, inflammation and painful procedures such as cathertization.

Word was received that a young man died in a traffic accident in Saudi Arabia, and his family decided to donate his organs to help save the lives of those needing organ transplants.

Tests showed that Latifa was a near perfect match for the kidney and arrangements were made to rush it from Saudi Arabia to the UAE by a jet.

Al Qubaisi praised the medical team, and thanked the family of the donor for their generous and selfless act of kindness.

Sheikh Khalifa Medical City has conducted 75 kidney transplants, all from living related donors in the past. Among them were seven children, the youngest being four years old, while the oldest person was 64 years old. However, this was the first transplant from a deceased donor.

Source: http://health.india.com

06.05.2013

4500 died due to unsafe abortions

As many of 4,500 deaths or eight percent of all maternal deaths occur due to unsafe abortions every year, parliament was told on Friday.

As per Registrar General of India’s Sample Registration System (RGI -SRS) survey report (2001-03), 8 percent of maternal deaths in the country are attributed to ‘abortion’ which translates into an absolute number of approximately 4,500 deaths in one year, Minister of State for Health Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Under the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), a conditional cash transfer scheme to promote institutional delivery with a special focus on below poverty line (BPL) and scheduled caste/scheduled tribal (SC/ST) pregnant women.

The scheme has brought about a significant increase in institutional delivery, added Choudhury.

More than 8.8 lakh ASHAs have been appointed in the villages to facilitate accessing of health care services at institutions, by the community, particularly pregnant women, he said.

Source: http://health.india.com

06.05.2013

President Mukherjee asks youngsters for blood

President Pranab Mukherjee called upon young men and women of the country to donate blood in a big way to ensure that not a single person in need of blood is left wanting. ‘Despite the notable efforts of our country’s blood banks, our country remains short of two million units of blood. I take this opportunity to call upon our young men and women to come forward in a big way and take part in voluntary blood donation,’ said Mukherjee, addressing the ceremonial session of the annual general meeting of the Indian Red Cross Society (IRCS) and St. John Ambulance. ‘Our efforts must be to ensure that not a single person in need of blood is left unanswered,’ he said. The president also presented awards to 26 volunteers and branches of IRCS and St John Ambulance (India) in recognition of their committed services.

Observing that despite the progress made by mankind, it cannot exercise control over occurrence of natural disasters, Mukherjee said: ‘While we may not be able to prevent such unfortunate events from occurring, we can definitely lessen their adverse impact on human lives.’ ‘For that, the quick response mechanisms for relief must be reinforced,’ he said. Mukherjee also asked volunteer-based organisations to ensure immediate medical assistance during road accidents so as to minimize the loss of life. In India, the Indian Red Cross Society and St. John Ambulance have been at the forefront of humanitarian service since 1920.

Source: http://health.india.com

06.05.2013

It's in vain to recall the past, unless it works some influence upon the present

CHARLES DICKENS