Ouagadougou: During a visit to the University Hospital Center (CHU) of Tengandogo, the Burkinabe government praised on Wednesday the achievements of the medical teams involved in the third kidney transplant campaign, indicating that this new stage, which marks progress in the local management of end-stage chronic kidney failure, constitutes a major step towards the health sovereignty of the country.
According to Burkina Information Agency, after a first successful kidney transplant on July 29, 2025, followed by a second campaign which resulted in two successful interventions on February 3 and 4, 2026, the Burkinabe medical teams and their partners successfully completed a third phase on three donor-recipient pairs. During a visit to medical teams and patients, a government delegation led by the Minister in charge of Higher Education, Adjima Thiombiano, hailed on July 29, 2026 an important step forward for the Burkinabe health system.
"We have seen the effectiveness of this kidney transplant session, which truly demonstrates a feat not only of the teams, but of the health system as a whole," the minister said. According to him, this initiative responds to the government's vision of enabling populations to benefit from specialized care through skills developed at the national level. For Adjima Thiombiano, the results obtained also testify to the efforts made by the Burkinabe through their contributions to the financing of the necessary health equipment and infrastructure. He urged people to understand that "sacrifices are not in vain," stressing that these advances are made possible through collective mobilization.
Dr. Fatimata Diallo, a nephrologist at the Tengandogo University Hospital, explained that kidney transplantation is the result of a long preparation process. "It's an arduous journey," she stated, adding that the patients involved in this third campaign have been monitored since November and December 2025. Before any intervention, the teams carry out a series of examinations to verify the eligibility of recipients and donors, their compatibility as well as the absence of medical contraindications.
For this campaign, the donors are drawn from the patients' families. The first patient to undergo surgery received a kidney from his older brother, while the second recipient is to receive one from his uncle. The third planned couple is a young woman whose donor is a paternal cousin. The specialist explains that after transplantation, patients receive close medical monitoring, particularly during the first three months. They must also undergo immunosuppressive treatment to prevent organ rejection. Donors, for their part, also receive regular follow-up after their procedure.
"Transplant patients normally no longer need dialysis when everything is working well, but they remain fragile patients who require monitoring," she explained. Beyond the three procedures, this campaign offers hope to many patients suffering from kidney failure. According to the nephrologist, approximately 800 patients are currently undergoing dialysis in Burkina Faso. Transplantation thus appears as a new therapeutic option offering a better quality of life and improved survival rates for eligible patients.
For David, a donor during this campaign, the act of helping his little brother stemmed first and foremost from family solidarity. "It wasn't me who was suffering, it was my little brother. Since we can't just stand by and do nothing when a family member is suffering, I decided to give him a chance at life," he explained. With three campaigns organised in one year and six transplants carried out or programmed since the launch of the program, Burkina Faso is gradually consolidating its capacities in a medical field long reserved for medical evacuations abroad.