Kenyatta National Hospital in conjunction with Novartis Kenya on 22nd November 2019 celebrated its ten years of successful collaboration of the Interlife Kidney Transplant Program. The event which took place at the KNH grounds was a culmination of a week-long celebration that included a public lecture on deceased organ donation, kidney transplantation surgeries at KNH Renal Unit and a panel discussion involving stakeholders in renal transplant space.
Speaking during the event, Health PS Ms. Susan Mochache lauded the people who participated in the program including the kidney donors who donated their kidneys to those in need, KNH Renal Unit that has actualized more than 200 transplants, and Novartis that facilitated the training of doctors. She expressed the Government’s effort towards making quality kidney transplantation available within the country. “Renal transplantation is not readily available in majority of the countries in Africa and it gives us great pride as a government that Kenyans can now cancel trips to India or South Africa for kidney surgeries, and instead come to Kenyatta National Hospital,” she said
Mr. John Gikonyo, a kidney transplant beneficiary of the Program, shared his story on his journey as a kidney patient. He praised the nurses who took care of him and added that KNH is recognized as a center of excellence in kidney transplants in Kenya. Ms. Jascinta Otwani, a kidney donor, also encouraged the public that kidney donation is a safe procedure.
The Interlife transplant program which was born in 2009 was meant to improve the lives of patients in the Kenyan transplant system. The event was a celebratory educative forum that hosted the kidney transplant recipients, their donors and families to interact with each other and their doctors to dispense crucial information on how to ensure they remain healthy
