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New multi-organ transplant centre to be established in Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi - A first-of-its-kind department to deal with the management of heart failures in children will be set up too.

A multi-disciplinary team of medics from India and the UAE will jointly establish a multi-organ transplant centre in Abu Dhabi — only the second such facility in the emirate — offering solace to patients waiting for an organ transplant in the UAE.

The centre will be based at VPS Healthcare’s Burjeel Medical City at Mohammed Bin Zayed City in Abu Dhabi. It will have a multi-disciplinary team led by Dr Sandeep Attawar, Chair and Director of KIMS Institute for Heart and Lung Transplantation in Hyderabad, India.

Burjeel Hospitals CEO John Sunil and Dr Attawar inked the memorandum of understanding for the medical collaboration.

As per the agreement, Burjeel Medical City will set up a state-of-the-art organ transplant centre with advanced technology and equipment for diagnosis, treatment and care. Meanwhile, KIMS Hospital will support by sharing their medical expertise and knowledge in treating the patients.

Dr Attawar’s team will introduce all programmes with regard to heart and liver transplantation. A first-of-its-kind department to deal with the management of heart failures in children will be set up too.

The medical team will be led by Dr Attawar, who is also the founding director of the solid thoracic organ transplant programme at KIMS Hospitals, and has performed almost 280 thoracic organ transplants, including 160 double lung transplants, 88 heart transplants, and 32 combined heart and lung transplants.

The team has performed around 12 double lung transplants on patients with end-stage Covid-19-damaged lungs.

Sunil noted: “In the initial phase, we will be concentrating on setting up the infrastructure for heart and lung transplants. Soon, we will strengthen our organ transplant centre and open directly to patients in need.”

Dr Attawar added: “We will be supporting Burjeel Medical City by extending our expertise in multi-organ transplants. Our team at KIMS has recently conducted 12 Covid double lung transplants in Hyderabad and has successfully conducted hundreds of other organ transplant cases. We firmly believe and look forward to serving the patients in the UAE through this partnership and translate this opportunity for the overall benefit of the health sector in the Middle East.”

The first such centre in the emirate was established by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.