King Faisal Hospital has announced plans to offer advanced kidney treatment services, including kidney transplant, making it the first hospital to introduce the practise in the country.

The move was disclosed by the hospital’s Deputy Chief Executive Dr. Egdar Kalimba on Wednesday while addressing the media. He was accompanying Prof. Miliard Derbew, the hospital’s CEO.

Kalimba said that the move comes at a time the hospital strives to become a centre of excellence catering to regional healthcare needs, adding that it is also aligned with the country’s vision of being a hub for medical tourism.

Similarly, he said, the medical service offerings expected to begin next year, will reduce the number of patients who seek transplant services abroad, mainly in India.

"At least 30-35 patients go abroad every year in search of these services,” Kalimba estimated, adding that, "This is a huge loss to these patients because these services come with a huge cost.”

As part of the efforts to prepare for the services, he highlighted that the hospital has recruited specialists in the field and that another group of doctors were being trained.

Dr. Momina Muhammed Ahmed, a nephrologist – specialist in the treatment of kidney diseases and related conditions, - is one of the recent medical experts recruited.

"This is one of the much-needed services in Rwanda, and it is much easier compared to the heart or liver transplant.”

Ordinarily, heart or liver transplants involve removing the bad organ and replacing it with a new one, but with kidney transplants, the native organ stays in the body and a new one is added.

Experts say that there is no need to remove the bad organ because it doesn’t spread to the other.

According to Kalimba, the most common kidney treatment at the hospital is haemodialysis, which he said involves pumping blood into an artificial kidney machine that filters away toxins before returning the blood to the body.

"This can be done two to three times a week. It is not as expensive, but sometimes it is necessary that the patient undergoes kidney transplant.”

Much as the program works well, Kalimba asserted that the hospital plans to increase the capacity, at the same time increasing the number of patients receiving the service.

He also confided that kidney transplants can’t be possible without the capability of dialysis.

"We have been preparing for some days, buying different equipment, drugs, training staff, among other preparations,” he added, "This is something we see coming to reality next year.”

Asked about whether the cost would be lowered compared to the amount spent abroad, Kalimba disclosed that talks are ongoing with the Ministry of Health together with other partners.

"Every service comes with a cost, we can’t say that the service will be free,” however, he said, "We are engaging the Ministry of Health and other partners to see that the cost is made fair for Rwandans.”

Speaking at a recent event, Clare Akamanzi, the CEO of Rwanda Development Board said that currently, Africa loses over $6 billion annually on its citizens travelling abroad for treatment.

According to her, Rwanda was now positioning herself to tap into this revenue by offering top of the range services.