Lao, Thai hospitals extend partnership in kidney transplants
 
Mittaphab Hospital and Thailand’s Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital have agreed to continue cooperation in the provision of general health services and kidney transplants at Mittaphab Hospital in Vientiane.

Director General of Mittaphab Hospital, Dr Sonexay Rajvong.

The partnership marks a new chapter in Lao healthcare and was cemented with the signing of an agreement by the Director General of Mittaphab Hospital, Dr Sonexay Rajvong, and a representative of Ramathibodi Hospital. 
Under the agreement, specialist teams from the two hospitals will carry out kidney transplants at Mittaphab Hospital, set up a joint laboratory, and arrange workshops, seminars and conferences to support future kidney transplants at the Lao hospital.
The results of discussions and areas of collaboration will be reported to their respective authoritative bodies in order to obtain future support for kidney transplants.
The two hospitals agreed to hold further detailed discussions and draw up Memorandums of Understanding on each agreed area of cooperation.
Dr Sonexay said the programme involves collaboration between kidney specialists from the two hospitals, divided into two phases.
Phase 1 began in mid-2023 with training to build specific skills for Mittaphab Hospital’s kidney transplant team, covering donor and recipient evaluation, immunology, use of anti-inflammatory drugs, post-operative care, management of complications, infection, and care of patients before and after transplantation.
Phase 2 began in 2024 with Mittaphab Hospital and Ramathibodi Hospital jointly conducting a kidney transplant selection process for a 49-year-old male patient with end-stage renal failure, for whom an 18-year-old female donor was found.
A meeting was held online to arrange the necessary facilities, equipment, and medicines for the transplant.
The success of this collaboration is a significant milestone for the renal department at Mittaphab Hospital since the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 2017 on collaboration between the National Institute of Public Health, Ministry of Health, and the Faculty of Medicine’s Ramathibodi Hospital at Mahidol University in Thailand.
“As a team of professionals that has been involved in this project since the beginning, we are delighted to have learned so much from Ramathibodi Hospital about kidney transplantation,” a representative of Mittaphab Hospital said.
The hospital’s kidney specialists have broadened their knowledge and confidence in kidney transplantation and will continue to develop their capabilities with the support of Ramathibodi Hospital through additional training programmes.
For several years, Mittaphab Hospital has been in discussions with several of Thailand’s medical universities and a Japanese university regarding the use of medical equipment and specialised training for nurses and doctors. 

By Phetphoxay Sengpaseuth
 (Latest Update December 13, 2024)