The management of a popular Abuja health facility, Alliance Hospital, has said that it had done 64 kidney transplant surgeries with 97 per cent success since it took off some years ago.
The hospital was responding to allegations by the family of a man who donated a kidney to his uncle and accusing the hospital of alleged organ harvest.
A man was seen in a viral video on Instagram and Facebook pages of some blogs accusing the hospital of allegedly harvesting the organ of his younger brother.
The man who was seen in the viral video outside the hospital building claimed his younger brother was a minor that cannot consent to an organ donation.
“This hospital does not have any right to remove a 17-year-old kidney and sell it. I am taking this issue up and will report it immediately to human rights officials”, he had threatened.
But the Chief Consultant Surgeon and Medical Director of Alliance Hospital, Dr. Christopher Otabor, told Journalists in Abuja that reports linking it with alleged organ harvest were untrue.
He said the kidney transplant was done with the teenager’s consent without any cohesion or intimidation.
While stating that the hospital would commence legal action against the young man who posted the said video for defamation of character, he said they were blackmailing the hospital and making a financial demand of N2.8 million.
Otabor said contrary to claims, the donor was 18 years and two months at the time of the surgery, adding that the teenager was not financially induced to donate his kidney.
He also brandished copies of the affidavit deposed to by the patient (recipient) also stating that the donor was his Nephew.
Otabor said that the hospital proceeded with the surgery which turned out to be successful after a positive compatibility and surgery fitness test were carried out.
Otabor said, “The young man in the video is the brother of a patient (name withheld) who was a kidney donor in the last batch of kidney transplants that was done in this hospital on Friday, November 11, 2022.
“As a rule, patients source for their donors from amongst members of their families or friends and present to the hospital for compatibility test. If the patients and proposed donors are found to be compatible, then further tests are done to determine the fitness of the donor for kidney donation surgery.
“Once the donor is determined fit to donate, then the administrative and legal procedures are undertaken.
Part of the legal procedure requires that the patient swear to an affidavit stating the following:
“That he is above 18 years of age which is the legal requirement in Nigeria. That there is no financial inducement and that he is not paid any amount of money to undertake this venture. That he is consenting to the procedure willingly and without any cohesion.”
