The announcement was made on October 27, 2026, when King Faisal Hospital hosted a team of transplant surgery specialists from Türkiye’s Acıbadem Healthcare Group.
The visit aims to strengthen cooperation towards introducing liver transplantation in Rwanda, building on kidney transplant services launched at the hospital in May 2023.
King Faisal Hospital’s Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Augustin Sendegeya, said the number of patients requiring liver transplants in Rwanda is increasing, while delays in accessing the procedure can put their lives at risk.
He explained that transplantation may be the only life-saving option when the liver is severely damaged and can no longer perform its essential functions.
Dr. Sendegeya added that liver transplants are expensive abroad, making the introduction of the service in Rwanda an important step towards reducing the financial and logistical challenges faced by patients.
“We have welcomed specialists from Türkiye’s Acıbadem Healthcare Group. We will discuss how to introduce new liver transplant services. We will also collaborate on research and train doctors in kidney and liver transplantation,” he said.
Dr. Sendegeya noted that Rwanda has already made progress in kidney transplantation, with about 115 patients having received the procedure at King Faisal Hospital.
Prof. Hamdi Karakayali, a transplant specialist at Acıbadem Healthcare Group, said diseases affecting the kidneys and liver are increasing worldwide, creating a need to expand treatment capacity.
He described kidney transplantation as a highly effective treatment, noting that success rates can reach 99% when procedures are performed by experienced specialists.
Patients with damaged kidneys can also undergo haemodialysis, a procedure that uses a machine to filter waste and excess fluid from the blood, performing some of the functions of the kidneys.
However, he said, liver failure presents a greater challenge because no machine can fully replace the liver’s functions when the organ is severely damaged.
“Liver diseases are very serious and difficult to treat. When the liver is severely damaged, transplantation may be necessary. Liver transplants have a success rate of more than 90%,” Karakayali said.
He said that during his 33 years in transplant medicine, he had participated in kidney transplants for approximately 3,500 patients and liver transplants for another 2,500.
Karakayali said one of the most rewarding aspects of his work is seeing patients recover and resume their lives, particularly children.
“It makes me happy to see the people I have treated recover, especially children. It is rewarding to treat a child who survives, goes to school and later returns as an adult with a family of their own,” he said.
Organ donation remains a major challenge
Karakayali said the availability of people willing to donate organs remains one of the biggest challenges facing transplantation programmes worldwide.
He explained that organ donation requires more than medical expertise, stressing the importance of following applicable laws and regulations to protect the rights and safety of both donors and recipients.
Türkiye has made progress in living-donor liver transplantation, he said, with approximately 80% of the 1,400 liver transplants performed there involving organs donated by living people.
Living donors can donate part of their liver because the organ has the ability to regenerate.
Liver transplants can also use organs donated by deceased people, subject to the relevant legal and medical requirements.
Karakayali said that although both options are available, securing enough donor organs remains a major challenge.
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