Haiti - Health : Towards better access to kidney transplant
According to Haitian surgeon Jacques Maurice Jeudy, organ transplant specialist and director of the Haitian Greffe Center, between 15,000 and 20,000 Haitians suffer from kidney failure in the country. He states that there are a very large number of patients in clinical situation of kidney failure in the country and that to meet their needs, the Haitian Greffe Center develops a partnership with the transplant department of the University of Miami, to allow Haitian patients to have access to the kidney transplant in Haiti.
Dr. Jeudy who, on November 30, 2009 who performed the first kidney transplant in Haiti, reveals that 8 kidney transplants have been performed in Haiti since 2009.
Calculated based on the money spent on dialysis for a year, Dr. Jeudy estimates that a kidney transplant can cost up to $ 35,000, which is a lot of money for most Haitians with kidney failure. However, he points out "The transplant ensures a survival of 98% of the graft after one year and 92% after five years and 98% of recipients of a transplant return to work in comparison to 30% for a patient on dialysis."
In addition, Dr Jeudy announced that a draft law on renal transplantation in Haiti is being prepared and will be sent shortly to the Government and that several kidney transplant centers will be put in place soon in the country. .
