Doctors at Mulago National Referral Hospital have successfully performed four kidney transplants in the past week, marking a major milestone in Uganda’s growing capacity to handle such complex medical procedures.
These latest surgeries bring the total number of transplants conducted at Mulago to nine since the hospital carried out its first operation in December 2023.
Although kidney transplants at the facility were initially limited to patients aged 18 to 40, the medical team made exceptions in two recent cases due to urgent health needs.
One involved a 16-year-old whose kidneys failed after a severe malaria infection. He received a kidney from his 24-year-old brother. Another case involved a 57-year-old man who was successfully transplanted with a kidney from his 43-year-old brother.
Other recent surgeries include a 23-year-old man who received a kidney from his 43-year-old father and a 24-year-old woman who was donated a kidney by her 26-year-old brother.
Dr. Peace Bagasha, a kidney specialist at Mulago, explained that the patients were chosen after a thorough screening process from a pool of over 400 people currently on dialysis—a treatment that uses machines to clean blood when kidneys fail. The selection prioritised patients with close relatives willing and fit to donate.
Dr. Frank Asiimwe, the hospital’s lead transplant surgeon, said the team also considers whether a patient can afford long-term post-surgery care. In particular, transplant recipients must take anti-rejection drugs for life—costing no less than Shs1.5 million per month—to ensure the body does not reject the donated kidney.
Dr. Rosemary Byanyima, Executive Director of Mulago Hospital, revealed that the hospital plans to conduct 12 kidney transplants in this financial year, all offered free of charge. She added that the long-term goal is to make kidney transplants a routine service by 2027.
At the national level, the Ministry of Health says kidney disease remains a top reason Ugandans are referred abroad. According to Dr. Ronny Bahatungire, Director of Clinical Services, four in ten referrals overseas are for kidney transplants, which can cost up to USD 25,000 (about Shs89 million)—not including travel and accommodation.
Dr. Bahatungire stressed that expanding transplant services locally will help reduce the financial burden on patients and cut down the number of costly foreign referrals. However, he acknowledged growing concerns about the lack of the Uganda Organ Donation and Transplant Council—an oversight body required by law to monitor transplant activities and ensure ethical practices.
He reassured the public that the council will become operational before the end of the current financial year.
