Hyderabad: Though there are numerous patients who are suffering from kidney ailments and are on dialysis, 90 per cent of them do not have any knowledge about ‘swap transplantation’. Swap transplantation is carried out when one has a related donor but there is blood group mismatch. Here, two people with related donors are brought together and upon their agreement, an exchange is carried out.
Hyderabad Transplant Forum has now opted for maintaining a registry for this.
Swap transplant surgeries were done in a few centres but now the doctors in Telangana are planning to have a platform for this which will allow more patients suffering from kidney failure to benefit from the same.
Telangana will be the first state in the country to have a swap registry and this online forum will allow donors to interact, meet and also to decide whether they want to opt for a swap transplant.
The patients have to wait for long to get a matching cadaver donor. Swap transplant is being looked up on as an alternate option mainly due to non-availability of same blood group donors among relatives.
Swap organ donation is accepted by the Transplantation of Human Organ Act and it allows for first degree relatives to donate kidney under this programme. First degree relatives are husband, wife, son, daughter, grandparents and grandmother.
Senior nephrologists Dr S. Sahariah, convener of Telangana State Swap Registry (TSSR) explained: “In swap transplant, the permission will be taken by the Government Authorisation Committee under the Director of Health and Medical Education. Both donors and recipients will meet each other. Apart from blood group matching, the comfort levels and also the class status are matched so that there is no disparity later.”
While kidney donations from brain dead patients or cadaver donations are seen, the numbers are not meeting the need.
Senior nephrologists Dr K.S. Nayak, convener of TSSR explained:“The main aim is to reduce the existing period of wait for a kidney patient to get a donor. Many of them are waiting for donors and even if there is a related donor, available in their family, there may be blood group mismatch. These patients now have an option. They can register online and once their medical tests are cleared for compatibility, they can meet the swap transplant donors and opt for it. This registry gives another platform for kidney patients apart from cadaver donation.”
