Kidney Care 4 All (KCA), an NGO co-founded by three members of the Dawoodi Bohra community of the UK, has taken a major step in transforming kidney care in Uganda. In late July, a specialist medical team led by Consultant Transplant Surgeon Dr. Hussein Khambalia travelled to Kampala to train local surgeons, anaesthetists, and nursing staff at Mulago National Referral Hospital (MNRH).
The mission, the third phase of a long-term partnership with Ugandan clinicians, builds on 18 months of online training and a previous exchange program in the UK. The aim is to enable Ugandan teams to perform kidney transplants independently and sustainably going forward. Over 400 patients currently await kidney transplantation at the hospital, where limited access to advanced treatment has left many dependent on dialysis.
“Ugandans have been receiving transplant services abroad since 2004. With the help of KCA, Ugandan teams have begun performing surgeries since July this year. This is a breakthrough for our patients and our healthcare system,” said Dr. Frank R Asiimwe, Consultant Urologist and Lead Transplant Surgeon at MNRH.
The visiting team included two additional transplant surgeons and an anaesthetist. Though not on the ground, co-founders Dr. Insiya Susnerwala and Mr. Moiz Ebrahim played vital roles—coordinating complex logistics and ensuring financial sustainability of the mission.
“It was an incredibly satisfying experience and a privilege to mentor the passionate and highly skilled Mulago team,” said Professor Titus Augustine, a volunteer transplant surgeon. “We are working towards setting up an autonomous and independent Ugandan transplant service,” he continued.
Patients benefitting from the intervention are full of praise. One recipient, who had struggled with daily hospital visits before her surgery, shared: “After the surgery, I feel independent now. I no longer need help all the time, and I can think positively about my future. I’m truly grateful for this new lease on life.”
Mr James, another transplant recipient, described the life-changing effect: “Before the surgery, I had no energy and felt weak all the time. After the operation, everything has changed—I can eat, move around, and feel so much better. This surgery has been nothing short of a miracle and it was provided completely free.”
The mission received strong backing from Uganda’s Ministry of Health and the British High Commission. The President of Uganda, Yoweri Museveni, invited the team to his residence in Entebbe and expressed his gratitude for their work and discussed potential collaborations in the future.
With Uganda’s transplant legislation passed in 2023 and growing local expertise, KCA looks forward to continuing its commitment to improving kidney care infrastructure in the country.