– reports all four patients recovering nicely

TWO men now have a new lease on life after undergoing successful kidney transplant surgery here at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).

The surgeries were done on Monday, July 9, by Dr. Kishore Persaud, after being granted approval for he and a team of specialists from the GPHC to perform what in medical parlance is called a paired-exchange kidney transplant procedure.

According to Dr Persaud, the process involves one patient having a willing but incompatible benefactor prepared to donate his/her kidney to another person who has need for it.
The catch, however, is that, that needy beneficiary must have a compatible family member willing enough to donate his/her organ to the initial patient.

Dr.Persaud said that this paired-exchange procedure, while new to Guyana, occurs quite regularly in First World countries.

The two patients at reference, 30-year-old Ravi Naraine, and Freddie Budhoo, 58, have been both having kidney problems for years and were in desperate need of a transplant.
He said that while members of Naraine’s family were tested for compatibility, none were a match.

However, Naraine’s brother, Ganshame, was a positive match for Budhoo, who was diagnosed with double kidney failure in November 2017.

That’s when he came up with the idea of doing a paired exchange, Dr. Persaud said, since Freddie’s wife, Kumarie, is a perfect match for Ravi.

He said that after having several discussions with both families,it was decided that they had nothing to lose, as if successful, it would be a win-win situation for all parties concerned. Thus was the go-ahead given to have all four surgeries done to save the lives of the two ailing men.

“One of the biggest fears of this transplant,” Dr Persaud explained, “is how do you prevent one person from pulling out.

“You will have to do the surgery together; so the issue is how do you prevent one person agreeing to give the kidney today and changing their mind tomorrow; that would be a big setback.

“So, we admitted all four patients, and we tried to do their surgeries consecutively.” Word is that both donors and recipients have expressed their undying gratitude for the generosity shown each other.

Kumarie Budhoo, one of the donors, said that she felt encouraged after she realised what an impact her selflessness could have on an entire family.

“Actually, I could’ve given to both,” she said. “I am a match for both my husband and Ravi. The first time I saw Ravi and I heard his story from Dr. Kishore, I realised that he needed my help, and we could’ve done something.”

Had the two families not agreed on the procedure, both patients would have remained on dialysis, if a match within each of their families had not been found. According to Dr. Persaud, dialysis costs about $15,000 per patient per session. The government assists by providing the first 40 sessions free of cost. (DPI)