KPJ Healthcare Launches Kidney Transplant Service, Broadens Access To Specialist Care

KUALA LUMPUR, June 11 (Bernama) -- KPJ Healthcare Berhad (KPJ Healthcare) today launched the first kidney transplant service within its hospital network, thereby expanding access to highly specialised transplant care and reflecting the continued development of advanced clinical capabilities under the KPJ Health System (KPJHS).

KPJ Healthcare said the launch follows the successful kidney transplant procedure completed involving a living related donor earlier this year.

It added that the success demonstrated the hospital’s readiness to provide transplant care supported by established clinical pathways and specialist expertise.

“Introduced at Tawakkal Specialist Hospital (TSH), the service offers kidney transplantation as a specialised treatment option for suitable patients with kidney failure.

“The procedure was performed by Consultant Urologists Dr Norman Dublin and Prof Dr Azad Hassan Abdul Razack, together with Consultant Nephrologist and Internal Medicine Specialist Dr Muhammad Iqbal Abdul Hafidz, supported by a multi-disciplinary team comprising anaesthesiologists, radiologists, critical care specialists, nurses and allied health professionals,” it said in a statement today.

KPJ Healthcare said that for suitable patients with end-stage kidney disease, organ transplantation is recognised as a crucial treatment option that can potentially provide improved long-term clinical outcomes and reduce dependence on dialysis compared to conventional renal replacement therapies.

The service is also supported by an integrated care pathway that encompasses nephrology, transplant surgery, anaesthesiology, radiology, intensive care, nursing, pharmacy, dialysis, rehabilitation, dietetics, laboratory and transplant coordination services.

Meanwhile, KPJ Healthcare president and managing director Chin Keat Chyuan said the service reflects the group’s continued commitment to expanding access to highly specialised treatment and strengthening the range of complex care services across the KPJ network.

“This service demonstrates how the KPJ Health System brings these capabilities together to support patients requiring advanced treatment and ongoing care.

“Guided by our Care for Life aspiration, we remain committed to developing capabilities that support patients throughout every stage of their healthcare journey,” he said.

KPJ Healthcare chief medical officer Datuk Dr Hanafiah Harunarashid concurred, saying that for suitable patients with end-stage kidney disease, kidney transplantation can significantly improve quality of life.

He is confident that patients can access comprehensive transplant care supported by specialist teams throughout the treatment journey.

Meanwhile, Tawakkal Specialist Hospital medical director Dr Nurhashim Haron said the organ transplant service continues the hospital’s longstanding legacy in renal care.

“Tawakkal Specialist Hospital has a longstanding involvement in this field, including performing transplant procedures in the 1980s under the leadership of the late Datuk Dr Hussein Awang, a urologist and co-founder of this hospital.

“The medical pioneer performed Malaysia’s first kidney transplant in 1975 and we are honoured to continue that legacy by providing this service to a new generation of patients,” he added.

-- BERNAMA