Arthur Bond, 53, of La Grange West Bank Demerara and Canadian-Based Guyanese Pushpwatie Goolcharran, 47, are recovering smoothly after receiving their new kidneys earlier this week at the Balwant Singh Hospital. The two are the most recent recipients to benefit from the Zara Realty Kidney Transplant Project initiated by the proprietor of Zara Realty Holding Corporation George Subraj, and executed by a team of surgeons, operating room technicians and nurses from the United States.
“Both of them are doing quite well, the first patient we did was Mr Arthur Bond and his kidney was given by his 17-year-old son… the donor is being discharged today and the recipient will be discharged tomorrow.
The second patient is Ms Goolcharran, who lives in Canada but is a Guyanese, her extended family is in Guyana and the donor was in Guyana, and they thought it would be easier for her to come here and get the surgery done,” explained George Washington University Clinical Professor, Rahul Jindal.
Jindal, who was part of the medical team, was at the time speaking at a press conference at the Dr Balwant Singh’s Hospital last Saturday afternoon.
Arthur and his teenage son Uthandi Bond, the donor and Goolcharran, along with her sister-in-law Omawattie Jabo, 45, were all in smiles when a team of media operatives visited them following the press conference. Both recipients and donors appeared to be relaxed and overwhelmed.
Pushpwatie Goolcharran
To date, 12 persons have benefited from the project which comes at the expense of Subraj and the U.S.-based doctors and medical practitioners. The overseas-based organisation conducted the first kidney transplant in 2008 at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). Zara Realty is optimistic that the number of beneficiaries will grow significantly in the near future.
“So gradually the programme has increased from a small operation to a really big operation now, we use to do one transplant every six months, now we do two every time we visit (every three months), so this year the plan is to do eight kidney transplants, so next year the plan is to do 20 kidney transplants,” Jindal proudly told the press.
Initially, the kidney transplants were done at GPHC, however the operation moved to the Balwant Singh Hospital last year.
Eighteen months ago, Zara Realty began to facilitate related kidney procedures in the areas of peritoneal dialysis and vascular access for hemo-dialysis.
Since then, 11 patients have been placed on peritoneal dialysis.
According to Subraj, the government of Guyana through the Health Ministry continues to support the project by making good on its promise by continuously supplying patients and beneficiaries with lifelong medication.
Jindal explained that using Skype, the U. S. surgeons involved in the project, monitor their patients on a monthly basis.
Additionally, local physicians also receive advice.
