NIGERIA (Delta)- Another milestone was achieved in the medical realm as Delta State University Teaching Hospital DELSUTH, Oghara, successfully carried out kidney transplant operation.

This was disclosed to newsmen yesterday by the State Governor, Emmanuel Uduaghan; a feat he described as a breakthrough in the hospital.

“This is a happy day for me as we are able to provide this service,” Mr. Uduaghan, who was among the medical team in the theatre when the operation was done, said.

“I know we were well prepared for this surgery and we also have a good post-surgery team.”

Uduaghan said his administration has concluded arrangements to expand the hospital due to the influx of patients.

He said the hospital had gone into a five year partnership with UT South-Western Medical Centre, Dallas, United States.

“We have a five-year training agreement with them to build infrastructure and human capacity.

“What they will be charging here will be far lower than what obtains anywhere else in the world.

“About two years ago, we started subsidizing dialysis in this hospital and brought it down from N22,000.00 to N5,000.00 . The subsidy is mainly for Deltans.”

In his reaction, the Chief Medical Director of DELSUTH, Leslie Akporiaye, told journalists that the kidney transplant was a new innovation in the hospital, adding that the operation lasted for just few hours.

“A lot of preparation has been on with the provision of necessary facilities, training and observation in Dallas and here in Oghara by staff of DELSUTH,” he said.

According to him, the second kidney transplant shall be done on Tuesday.