From Nairobi, the capital of Kenya, CEOAFRICA.com gathered that the country’s first paediatric kidney transplants have been successfully carried out giving two girls and two boys aged between 13 and 17 a new lease of life and perhaps increasing hope for other Kenyan patients with renal failure.

It was gathered from sources that the four transplants, which was performed last week at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) brought the total number of transplants done in the country since 1978 to 99.

While speaking to journalists, KNH chief transplant surgeon Peter Mungai explained that children with kidney diseases were particularly disadvantaged because it was not advisable to place them on dialysis. This is because of their tiny blood vessels in addition to the fact that they are unable to meet the 20-kilo weight threshold required.

Peter Mungai said,”Help us transplant all those who are transplantable so that we can remove them from the list of those who need to go through dialysis and make the dialysis machines available for those who are waiting for a transplant.”

In another reaction, Health Cabinet Secretary James Macharia, promised to look into the issues affecting kidney patients saying that the National Hospital Insurance Fund was going to be overhauled as the government works towards making health services available to all.

“There is no need of having drugs sitting in a big warehouse in Nairobi and not have them reach the most needy across the country,” he said.

This is a huge relief for patients with kidney illnesses, who used to incur huge medical costs as they work towards managing the diseases.

One of the recipient of a kidney explained how she had to use drugs that cost her about Sh25,000 per month to ensure that her body does not reject the new organ.