Zimbabwe weighs local kidney transplants as foreign referrals mount

HARARE— Zimbabwean specialists are pushing for the revival of a local kidney transplant programme, arguing it would be cheaper and give patients a better quality of life than the current reliance on costly foreign referrals.

The call comes as rising kidney failure cases strain the country's dialysis centres and consume scarce foreign currency used to send patients abroad for transplants. A research review by Zimbabwe Kidney Foundation Renal Services Executive Chairman Dr Obadiah Moyo found that transplantation costs significantly less than dialysis.

Cost comparison

One study cited in the review showed transplant costs of US$11,426 per patient, against US$27,007 for peritoneal dialysis and US$37,395 for haemodialysis. "Kidney transplantation is a cheaper solution with a higher quality of life than dialysis," Dr Moyo said. "It is a more appropriate renal treatment for introduction in Zimbabwe to save on the scarce foreign currency."

His review notes that government supplies foreign currency for patients who travel abroad, but recipients often return without proper follow-up care. "There is currently no exit for patients on dialysis except through receiving transplants abroad at high costs," Dr Moyo said. "It also just benefits a few well-to-do patients and neglects the socially disadvantaged majority."

'Dialysis is a life sentence'

Senior urologist Dr Daud Dube said dialysis without a transplant option is financially unsustainable, estimating that a living-donor transplant breaks even against dialysis within two to three years.

"Dialysis is a life sentence, not a cure," he said. "The question is not technical capability; it is political and financial will." He noted that each overseas referral, costing US$60,000 to US$80,000, could fund three local transplants. Dr Dube called for a ring-fenced budget for anti-rejection drugs, training partnerships with foreign centres and a dedicated transplant clinic.

Families struggle

Mr Tafirenyika Gwerume, whose son Ashton has lived with kidney disease for four years and is on dialysis three times a week, is facing the cost of travelling abroad for a transplant.

"I'm trying to get help for our kid to go to India for a transplant which needs $32,000," he said. "I wish it was done locally and cheaper so that expenses are being cut off." Zimbabwe currently lacks an established organ donation and transplant programme, forcing many patients to seek help abroad, an option financially out of reach for most families.

The proposed programme would require trained staff, upgraded dialysis units, a renal registry and a public-private partnership with an experienced foreign institution.

Zimbabwe kidney transplant programme