Yemen Monitor / Taiz / Reporting Unit:
Consultant in Hepatology, Gastroenterology, and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Mohammed Al-Mujahid, stated that the success of the first three liver transplant operations in the city of Taiz represents a “pivotal point” in the path of localizing specialized medical services within Yemen and reducing the suffering of patients who were forced to travel abroad for treatment at high costs.
Al-Mujahid explained to “Yemen Monitor” on Thursday that the project began about a year ago through coordination between a Yemeni medical team led by Dr. Abu Dharr Al-Jundi, following the successes achieved by the Cardiovascular Center in the field of kidney transplantation. He noted that work started with developing an integrated plan to establish a specialized liver transplant program in Taiz.
He added that the team began preparing medical equipment and supplies since the middle of last year, along with preparing a training and qualification program for Yemeni staff. Consultant Dr. Nabil Al-Makhlafi received intensive training in India in the field of liver transplantation, concurrently with technical coordination with an Indian team to supervise the program.
Al-Mujahid confirmed that the three operations were performed by Yemeni hands, under the supervision of the Indian consultant Dr. Silvi, and with the participation of surgeons Dr. Nabil Al-Makhlafi, Dr. Abu Dharr Al-Jundi, and Dr. Fares.
He pointed out that the opening of a specialized liver transplant clinic at the Heart Center in Al-Jumhouri Hospital in Taiz witnessed a large turnout, explaining that the clinic received more than 50 cases in need of liver transplants over the past six months, in addition to dozens of inquiries from various Yemeni governorates.
He clarified that the project will contribute to alleviating the health and financial burdens on patients, noting that the cost of a liver transplant outside Yemen ranged between 30,000 and 40,000 dollars, and could be higher depending on the country and hospital, while the center aims to reduce the cost of the procedure inside Yemen to about 10,000 dollars, supported by charitable organizations and donor contributions.
He explained that the first three operations were performed free of charge with charitable funding, as part of efforts to expand access to this type of treatment within the country.
Regarding the main challenges, Al-Mujahid said the project faced difficulties related to the high prices of medical equipment and difficulty in providing them given the economic conditions, in addition to the need to qualify medical staff and arrange external training and technical placements.
He added that the team had to travel to Cairo as part of the training and preparation phases, and also faced challenges related to importing equipment and securing the necessary funding for the project’s continuation.
Al-Mujahid called on the government, local authorities, and supporting entities to support projects aimed at establishing specialized centers for liver diseases and surgery in Yemen, noting that there are movements to establish a specialized liver hospital in the city of Taiz.
He affirmed that the continuation of the project represents an important step toward advancing the Yemeni health sector and providing high-quality treatment services for patients within the country.
