Dong Nai General Hospital ready for its first kidney transplant

Dong Nai General Hospital (Tam Hiep Ward, Dong Nai Province) has been recognized by the Ministry of Health as qualified to perform kidney transplants and is ready to implement them.

This hospital is the first medical facility in Dong Nai to perform this technique, opening up treatment opportunities for many patients with chronic kidney failure, especially those of working age, to return to work, reducing the burden on families and society.

Kidney failure increasingly affecting younger people

For many years, the Hemodialysis and Artificial Kidney Department at Dong Nai General Hospital has been operating in a prolonged state of overload due to the number of patients exceeding the number of hemodialysis machines. Many patients have to remain on a "waiting list", mainly because the number of patients with chronic kidney failure continues to rise. Every day, the 46 dialysis machines in this department operate at full capacity to serve about 220 patients undergoing regular dialysis, with a frequency of three times a week per patient. In addition, about 15 emergency dialysis cases are also waiting due to insufficient equipment. To handle these cases, the department has also increased the number of dialysis shifts from three to four per day.

The 46 dialysis machines at Dong Nai General Hospital have to operate continuously in four shifts per day. Photo: Bich Nhan

But what is worrying is that the concern lies not only in the pressure of patient numbers, but also in the increasingly younger patient profile here. Dr. Le Thi Ngoc Yen, Head of the Hemodialysis and Artificial Kidney Department, said that patients under 40 years old undergoing regular dialysis at the department are estimated to account for about 1/4 of the total number of cases treated, equivalent to 40-50 people. Among them are patients as young as 18-19 who already have to depend on dialysis machines.

Patient D.T.Q.N. (19 years old, in Long Hung Ward, Dong Nai Province) was diagnosed with chronic kidney failure and has had to undergo regular dialysis 3 times per week for the past half year. At the age of 10, N. had nephrotic syndrome but abandoned treatment and took traditional medicine. As a result, in 2025, when she experienced shortness of breath and severe swelling, N. went for an examination and was diagnosed with end-stage kidney failure, requiring regular dialysis.

"As a first-year student of the Finance major, I was forced to temporarily stop my studies to undergo regular dialysis. My family also got tested to donate a kidney to me, but the results were incompatible. I am still waiting for an opportunity from another suitable kidney donor. Returning to normal life, continuing my studies... is my daily dream," N. confided.

This reality has made kidney transplantation the greatest aspiration of many patients, especially those of working age, who long to return to normal life and work.

Dr. Yen expressed: "Most patients treated in the department express their desire for a kidney transplant, especially young people. When they receive a kidney transplant, patients also reduce pressure, time, and costs compared to regular dialysis."

To address overload and give chronic kidney failure patients "another life", Dong Nai General Hospital has established a Kidney Transplant Project and has been meticulously preparing for over 3 years. The hospital has sent a team of 30 doctors from various specialties to receive professional training in kidney retrieval and transplantation at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. Simultaneously, the hospital has meticulously prepared operating rooms, equipment, medicines, specialized chemicals, and other supplies to support kidney transplantation.

Opening up new life opportunities for kidney failure patients

Specialist Level II Doctor Ngo Duc Tuan, Director of Dong Nai General Hospital, said: "After evaluation, on February 13, the Ministry of Health issued Official Letter No. 487/QD-BYT recognizing Dong Nai General Hospital as a medical facility qualified to perform kidney retrieval and transplantation from living donors and brain-dead donors at the hospital.

Therefore, we are taking the necessary steps to prepare for the first kidney transplant in the next few weeks. In the first kidney transplant cases, doctors from Dong Nai General Hospital will operate alongside leading professors in kidney transplantation from Cho Ray Hospital. In these cases, the lead surgeons will be the professors and experts. The experts will direct the surgeries at Dong Nai General Hospital for about 3-6 months. After that period, doctors at Dong Nai General Hospital will serve as the lead surgeons with support from Cho Ray Hospital."

The Ministry of Health has approved Dong Nai General Hospital to perform kidney transplants after evaluation. Photo: Bich Nhan

In reality, the number of young people suffering from chronic kidney failure is increasing, and they always hope to receive a kidney transplant from a living donor (mostly family members) or from a brain-dead donor. However, regulations regarding organ donation and reception are very strict, requiring full compliance with legal and professional steps. Therefore, Dong Nai General Hospital will implement a rigorous process for both donors and recipients.

Dr. Ngo Duc Tuan, Level II Specialist and Director of Dong Nai General Hospital, emphasized: In the first kidney transplant case, the hospital will select a patient with chronic kidney failure who needs a living kidney transplant and resides in Dong Nai province. Priority will be given to patients with difficult economic circumstances, who are of working age and need a kidney transplant to return to life and work. Currently, the hospital is planning to partially subsidize the costs for some of the first kidney transplant cases.

In the near future, the hospital will establish a club for organ donors and another for people in need of organ transplants. Through these clubs, the hospital will provide specific advice and guidance to help people understand legal regulations and professional conditions to ensure the health of both donors and recipients (in cases of living donor kidney transplants). The hospital will also provide official contact points for patients and families to receive transparent, appropriate advice, registration, and access to information.

It is expected that during 2026 and 2027, Dong Nai General Hospital will make kidney transplantation a routine procedure, with 5-10 cases each month. This undertaking is seen as an important step in the roadmap to mastering specialized techniques and gradually affirming the professional capacity of a provincial-level hospital.

In particular, the routine implementation of kidney transplants will not only help ease overcrowding at higher-level hospitals but also open up opportunities for timely treatment for patients in the local area, significantly reducing costs and waiting time.

By Bich Nhan – Translated by Mai Nga, MInho