Lao and Thai medical staff prepare to carry out a kidney transplant at Mittaphab Hospital (File photo).

Mittaphab Hospital achieves success in kidney transplant services
 
Mittaphab Hospital has expanded its kidney transplant services following the success of two kidney transplant operations, boosting Laos’ capacity to treat patients with end-stage kidney disease.
The hospital’s Director General, Dr Sonexay Rajvong, told reporters that the hospital now has sufficiently trained medical personnel, specialised equipment, modern facilities and patient care systems needed to carry out kidney transplants.
The hospital has served as the country’s national referral centre for kidney care since introducing haemodialysis in 1994. The Ministry of Health has authorised Mittaphab Hospital and Military Central Hospital 103 to perform kidney transplant surgery.
Mittaphab Hospital carried out its first kidney transplant on November 18, 2024, followed by a second successful operation on October 8, 2025. The two kidney recipients have recovered well, continue to receive regular follow-up care, and are living a normal life.
The transplant programme was developed in partnership with Thailand’s Ramathibodi Hospital under a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2023.
Under the programme, doctors and specialists from the two hospitals have jointly performed transplant procedures, established laboratory support systems and organised clinical training. Lao medical staff have also received specialised training at Ramathibodi Hospital’s Organ Transplant Centre.
Dr Sonexay said the programme was implemented in two phases. The first phase, launched in mid-2023, trained Lao specialists in donor and recipient assessment, transplant immunology, immunosuppressive therapy, post-operative care, infection control and the management of transplant complications.
The second phase began in 2024 with the joint assessment and preparation of transplant candidates. The first recipient was a 49-year-old man with end-stage kidney disease who received a kidney donated by an 18-year-old female relative.
Mittaphab Hospital has now established a multidisciplinary transplant team.
A hospital official told the Vientiane Times that all transplant procedures comply with Ministry of Health regulations. Living kidney donors must be close relatives, with family relationships verified by local authorities and DNA testing to prevent organ trafficking.
The partnership with Ramathibodi Hospital has significantly strengthened the knowledge and confidence of Lao kidney specialists, she said. 
“As a team of professionals involved in this project from the beginning, we are delighted to have gained extensive knowledge from Ramathibodi Hospital on kidney transplantation,” she said, adding that training and technical cooperation would continue as the programme expands.
The development builds on earlier progress in Laos. Military Central Hospital 103, with technical support from Vietnam’s Military Hospital 103, reported carrying out the country’s first successful kidney transplants on December 31, 2023.
Kidney transplantation is regarded as the most effective treatment for end-stage kidney disease because it offers patients a better quality of life, reduces dependence on long-term dialysis, and enables many recipients to resume normal daily activities.
According to health officials, more than 1,000 people with kidney failure are currently undergoing dialysis in Laos. 

By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
 (Latest Update July 29, 2026)