Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — The Saudi German Hospital (SGH) in Jeddah announced the success of the first kidney transplant surgery at the hospital during a press conference on Monday.

Dr. Khalid Batterjee, a member from the Board of Directors at the Saudi German Hospitals Group, said: "The goal of this press conference is to inform the public about the various services we provide to the community including kidney and liver transplantation. We want the public to know that all transplantation centers require the approval of the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation (SCOT), which is not easy."

He said they worked for two years to obtain the approval before becoming the first certified Saudi private hospital that can carry out organ transplants.

SCOT turns down approval for transplantation of organs on a commercial basis because of many problems involved, including the possibility of organ trade.

"If someone wants to donate his or her organs, the donor and the recipient have to agree on it in writing under the supervision of a committee from SCOT," Batterjee said.

Wail Jawa, chief executive officer of Saudi German Hospital, said: "We want to tell the public that the private hospitals have gained capability for success in different fields. We have become the first private hospital in Saudi Arabia to get approval for conducting kidney and liver transplantation surgeries."

The first kidney transplant surgery from a live donor took place at the Saudi German Hospital in Jeddah on Dec. 19, 2017, under the supervision of Dr. Khaled Abo Zaid, head of Nephrology and Transplantation. The surgery was successful.