DOHA: Two young patients have undergone life changing surgeries for a rare type of urological disease, with the support of Qatar Foundation (QF).
Sidra Medical and Research Center in collaboration with Pamela Block, Founder and Executive Director of the Association for Bladder Exstrophy Community (A-BE-C), conducted the surgeries recently at the Hamad General Hospital.
The surgeries were conducted for Bladder exstrophy, a congenital abnormality that occurs when the skin over the lower abdominal wall does not form properly. It is a rare urological disease that affects one in 50,000 babies.
Dr Joao Luiz Pippi Salle, Division Chief of Pediatric Urology at Sidra, is one of just a handful of doctors with the expertise to carry out the lengthy operation. Dr Salle treated the two patients, a 19-month old from Central Asia and a 17-month old from Ghana, after months of funding, legislation and organisation under Block’s supervision.
Speaking about the life changing operations, Block outlined the significance of the clinical expertise available in Qatar and said, “In the absence of accessible and competent health systems in their countries, patients suffering from bladder exstrophy experience an agonising, isolating and humiliating existence and are often marginalised in their communities. The un-paralleled healthcare in Qatar will help change these children’s lives and give hope to their parents that their children will go on to lead happy, healthy and fulfilled lives.”
