Kidney transplant patient, donor to go home

Kidney transplant patient Munesh Mangal and his mother and donor Leelkumarie Mangal are to be discharged from the Georgetown Public Hospital tomorrow.

According to a press release from the hospital, both patients have been responding well to treatment and have been recovering excellently in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at the hospital.

The 18-year-old became the first Guyanese to have kidney transplant surgery in the country. The surgery was done on July 12 by a team of US doctors.

Mangal was diagnosed with end-stage renal failure last October and was having dialysis. Despite the treatments however, the young Lusignan, East Coast Dem-erara resident’s health had rapidly deteriorated.

Kidney transplant surgery is expected to join the menu of medical services provided in the local health sector, according to Minister of Health Dr Leslie Ramsammy who noted that it initially would require the necessary funding, human resources and collaboration.

Several kidney transplants are expected to be completed at the hospital in the coming months.

Two patients suffering from renal failure, who were seen by Dr Rahul Jindal, lead attending surgeon, and his team of US doctors on Friday were identified as possible candidates since according to the doctors, “they are in pretty bad shape”.