Singapore is region’s organ-transplant pioneer
Re: “Chulalongkorn performs historic kidney transplant”, April 6, National.
I congratulate the transplant team at Bangkok’s King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital for performing its first kidney transplant across blood types, which is commonly referred to as an ABO-incompatible kidney transplant.
Your report said the transplant was the first such operation performed in Southeast Asia. Actually, the first was done in Singapore, at Mount Elizabeth Hospital. (See “Their blood types don’t match, but he’s getting her kidney” in the Straits Times, May 4, 2008.) The first ABO-incompatible kidney transplant performed in the public sector took place at Singapore’s National University Hospital in September 2009. Another ABO-incompatible kidney transplant was performed at Singapore General Hospital in December 2009. And in July 2011 the first ABO-incompatible kidney transplant was performed in Malaysia.
Since 2008 more than 50 ABO-incompatible kidney transplants have been performed in Singapore, allowing patients with end-stage kidney failure greater access to the procedure. Unfortunately the rate at which such transplants are done in Singapore remains very low due to the lack of willing living donors.
We hope that more will be done to improve acceptance of this form of transplantation among patients and the community.
Dr Terence Kee
President of the Society of Transplantation (Singapore)
