News2021-01-04

Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital, MBRU, Mediclinic Middle East and Al Jalila Foundation joined forces to save a young teen’s life from end stage kidney disease

Teenager Pritvik Sinhadc who was suffering from end-stage kidney disease & received a kidney from his father, which is expected to substantially improve his quality of life

Al Jalila Foundation generously funded the operation to save and improve Pritvik’s life

Public and private institutions in Dubai joined forces to successfully perform the first pediatric kidney transplant from a live donor in the UAE on a 16-year-old boy suffering from ‘end-stage kidney disease’. A team of physicians from Al Jalila Children’s Specialty Hospital (Al Jalila Children’s), Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences (MBRU) and Mediclinic Middle East performed the surgery. The surgery was funded by Al Jalila Foundation.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime

Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai sent a letter to the patient, Pritvik Sinhadc,

informing him that he will be taken care of in the UAE. In the letter, H.H. Sheikh

Mohammed said, “To my dear Pritvik, this is a small gesture from me to you to

remind you that you are here at home and that you are in safe hands, and I will pray

to God to keep you in good health and safe… keep smiling little warrior.”

In June of 2020, Pritvik arrived at the nephrology clinic of Al Jalila Children’s with

complete kidney failure. Having been born with small, partially-functioning kidneys,

Pritvik had, according to doctors, reached ‘end stage kidney disease’ and required

immediate renal replacement therapy.

His father, Bhaskar, was identified as a successful match and, after completing the

donor work-up, orchestrated by Dr. Ramzi Ayache, nephrologist at Mediclinic City

Hospital in collaboration with Dr. Farhad Janahi, consultant urologist & transplant

surgeon at Mediclinic City Hospital and assistant professor of surgery at MBRU, and

Dr. Waldo Concepcion, head of the Al Jalila Children’s Organ Transplant Center,

executed the transplant successfully.

The operation, which was funded through the Al Jalila Foundation, a not-for-profit

organization dedicated to transforming lives through medical research, education

and treatment in the UAE. The operation has not only saved Pritvik’s life, it also is

expected to improve the quality of life in the years ahead.

H.E. Humaid Al Qutami, Director General of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), paid

a visit to Pritvik before his surgery, enquiring about his condition and reiterating DHA’

s unwavering support towards the welfare of the family.

H.E. Al Qutami said that the exceptional transformation witnessed in Dubai’s health

care sector, reaffirms its position as a preferred destination for those looking for a

distinctive medical experience in a safe and healthy climate with high-level care.

He pointed out that the government and private medical facilities in Dubai have

succeeded in providing the highest levels of care when performing major, delicate,

difficult and rare operations, thanks to their state-of-the-art facilities and skilled health

care professionals.

H.E. Al Qutami added: “the success of the operation is an important step towards a

new era of conducting such highly accurate operations. At the same time it

represents a direct stimulus to the continuous developmental efforts happening in

Dubai.”

H.E. Al Qutami congratulated the medical team who performed the successful

operation and everyone who contributed to its success.

H.E. Dr. Raja Al Gurg, Vice Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, MBRU, said the

University was honored to be part of this historic procedure in the UAE.

“Our mission at MBRU is to advance health in the UAE and beyond and this historic

procedure is evidence that we are on the right path. Our core values of connectivity,

giving and excellence came to the fore through our connectivity with long-standing

partners, a commitment to medical excellence and giving back to communities.” she

said.

“We are proud of MBRU’s Organ Transplant Program achievements thus far and its

role in bringing partners together to better outcomes for patients. Most importantly,

we are humbled to have played a part in allowing this impressive young man Pritvik

to live his life and press ahead while enjoying quality time with his family and

realizing his full potential.”

Dr. Abdulla Al Khayat, CEO of Al Jalila Children’s, said “We are proud of this joint

achievement which has given Pritvik a new lease of life. This pioneer surgery puts us

one step closer towards achieving our government’s vision of increasing access to

quality transplant services and putting the UAE at the forefront of organ transplant

regionally and globally. Our dedicated team of experts in the newly launched Al Jalila

Children’s Organ Transplant is working day and night to provide children with acute

and chronic kidney disease quality care in a child friendly environment helping

improve the lives of children in the UAE and beyond.”

Mr. Matthew Dronsfield, Director of Mediclinic City Hospital, further adds, “We at

Mediclinic Middle East are proud to be a part of the first successful living donor

paediatric renal transplant. This marks another important milestone for the

development of transplant services in Dubai which is the result of the close

collaboration by our multi-disciplinary transplant teams at MBRU, Al Jalila Children’s

Hospital and Mediclinic Middle East. Pritvik’s father, Bhaskar Sinha, was operated on

in Mediclinic City Hospital on the day of transplant and will continue to be closely

monitored by the transplant team.”

“Through our A’awen program we are helping parents give their children the

opportunity to undergo the latest medical procedures at world-class medical

institutions, offering them renewed hope for their child’s future. The program helps to

alleviate the financial burden on families so that they can focus on their child’s

treatment plan and recovery.

Our top priority at Al Jalila Foundation is to transform lives through medical

innovation; and without investments in research advances in life-changing healthcare

are not possible. We are grateful to our partners and generous donors for working

with us to give children like Pritvik a chance to have a healthy, prosperous future.

Pritvik is a bright young boy with a full life ahead of him. We wish Pritvik a speedy

recovery and look forward to seeing what the future holds for him on a personal and

academic front.” Dr. Abdulkareem Sultan Al Olama, CEO, Al Jalila Foundation.

An extremely talented young boy, Pritvik has been accepted as an official affiliated

researcher at BEYOND: Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science to research

astrophysics. He is a published co-author on NASA’s Primer on Astrobiology and

graduated as a World Science Scholar in June 2020. His failing kidneys, though,

were taking a heavy toll on his research work and his schoolwork, necessitating an

urgent kidney transplant.

Pritvik, who was has been named a UAE Ambassador of Organ Donation, said: “I

pledge to work towards raising awareness on the crucial need for organ donation in

saving lives of patients like me, who would otherwise not make it without a

transplant. I have been lucky to have my father as my donor. However, there are

many who need transplants to survive and I shall be working closely with MBRU and

the Al Jalila Foundation to ensure that there is increased awareness on organ

donation.

In December of 2020, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council

of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum

announced the government’s approval on an organ transplant program to further

cement Dubai’s leadership in this field and raise the bar of healthcare excellence.

The program will contribute to the efforts to transform Dubai into a global healthcare

tourism destination and a center for medical research. Pritvik’s case, amongst many

others, is an example that entities are heading in the right direction to turn Dubai into

a global healthcare destination.