Head of the Organ Transplantation Department at the Hamed Al-Issa Center for Organ Transplantation who is also head of the Kuwaiti Society for Organ Transplantation, Dr. Mustafa Al-Moussawi announced he has performed 164 kidney transplants during the past two years, 103 in 2019 and 61 in 2020.
Al-Moussawi told Al-Jarida during the same period he also performed 8 liver transplants, 6 in 2019 and 2 in 2020. On the issue of heart transplant, he said, the Ministry of Health is serious about this program, and noted Kuwait has been elected to host the World Conference of the Asian Society for Organ Transplantation in 2025, beating strong competition from Korea and Taiwan.
He added, this conference is very vital saying it will highlight the role of young people specialized in organ transplantation in Kuwait, which is witnessing a remarkable progress.
Dr Al-Moussawi disclosed Kuwait has performed a total of 2,385 kidney transplant operations from February 1979 until 2020 saying Kuwait is the first in the Arab world and the third in the Middle East in receiving organs after the death of the donors and said 50 percent of kidneys used in transplants are from brain dead people. He stressed on the importance of donating organs after death instead of burying them, because these organs save the lives of others.