Question about Kidney Transplant

[sirineou]

Please is possible do not move to Health and Medicine as I am hoping to get as much advise asp possible and not only from those that frequent the H& M sub-forum. I am sure in the H&M forum it will not be seen by many who might have relevant comments

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My Mother in law who is a lovely lady in her mid fifties and whom we love very much is in renal failure and is undergoing peritoneal dialysis, her prospects for are not good.

My wife is considering donating a kidney to her mother, and we would appreciate as much advise as possible to supplement our research on the subject

I am a US citizen my wife holds both US and Thai citizenship's and passports and though we have very good medical insurance in the US , we have no medical coverage in Thailand, other than what might be afforded my wife by the Thai government as a Thai national

My concerns are for the safety of my wife, and costs involved for both my wife and her Mom,

Though we do relatively well in the US , we both work, we cant have the procedure in the US because my ML cannot travel and because we can not afford it

What are the prospects of having this done in Thailand, is it safe for my wife, what would be the costs, and any other advise anyone can think of

we appreciate and consider any advise

Thank you

Edited April 25, 2015 by sirineou

[smokie36]

May I ask....is your MIL receiving free dialysis treatment in Thailand?

If so I would think a transplant from her daughter would be cheaper in the long run than the continued treatment....just a thought.

Of course the private hospitals in Bangkok offer the service....I don't know which public ones do....but this is something your MIL should discuss at the hospital with the team looking after her.

I'm sure Sheryl will know more about this though....so maybe you should ask her.

[sirineou]

May I ask....is your MIL receiving free dialysis treatment in Thailand?

If so I would think a transplant from her daughter would be cheaper in the long run than the continued treatment....just a thought.

Of course the private hospitals in Bangkok offer the service....I don't know which public ones do....but this is something your MIL should discuss at the hospital with the team looking after her.

I'm sure Sheryl will know more about this though....so maybe you should ask her.

She is receiving free dialysis and follow ups, so that's not a problem,

they will not pay for mechanical hemophiliacs and the costs to have it done privately are high, we could pay it for a short time but not for the rest of her life.

so she needs to do the peritoneal dialysis a few times a day, which means she can not travel and there is always the danger of infection, She already had an infection once and I am told if she has several it could kill her.

[Camelot]

My Thai workmate had a kidney transplant at Chulalongkorn Hospital. He told me it was the best place in Thailand for the procedure, even though it is a government (public) hospital. To shorten the delay, he admitted himself as a semi-private patient, which entitled him to a room instead of a ward.

This was several years ago but might still be worth checking out.

[sirineou]

My Thai workmate had a kidney transplant at Chulalongkorn Hospital. He told me it was the best place in Thailand for the procedure, even though it is a government (public) hospital. To shorten the delay, he admitted himself as a semi-private patient, which entitled him to a room instead of a ward.

This was several years ago but might still be worth checking out.

Thank you for that reply, I have forward this information to my wife and we will look in to it

[benalibina]

Best wishes for your MIL and wife. Truly hope all works out fine.

[NancyL]

It probably would be best for this to be moved to the Health forum where Sheryl would see it.

Kidney transplants are routinely done at the large regional teaching hospitals to the same standards as the in the west. I've been very impressed with what I've seen at the University hospital here in Chiang Mai. (commonly called Suan Dok) The costs at the gov't teaching hospitals will be substantially lower than at a private hospital. However, there will be a waiting period that may or may not be acceptable. One advantage of a private hospital is that you're treated immediately and the patient experience is better (private room vs. ward)

It would help Sheryl to formulate an answer if she knew where you live.

[CharlieH]

Wrong forum

MOVED to Medicine

[Sheryl]

Thailand has universal health care coverage for its citizens and this should cover the costs except for certain extras such as private room if desired. If for some reason costs were not covered (the only reason I can think of is if you wanted to move more quickly than the public system allowed), private costs at a government hospital are quite reasonable, a small fraction of costs in the US (probably a few thousand dollars). Private hospitals on the other hand are costly - still less than the US but not that much less.

The quality of care in tertiary government hospitals is quite good (though not the amenities) and I would not have any concerns regarding your wife's safety.

HOWEVER it does not follow that because she is your wife's mother, your wife can donate. She may or may not be a match, and tissue typing needs to be done to determine this.

If she is a match, while costs will not be large and quality of care will be fine, it may take time to schedule the surgery etc so a long stay in Thailand should be expected.

[sirineou]

Thank you all for your kind remarks, concern and advise,and well wishes

My Wife would be coming to Thailand in June when her mom's next follow up hospital appointment is and will explore the available options, I would love to come with her but unfortunately work concerns will not allow me. If and when a transplant is scheduled I would of course come to be in my wife's side and to support my MIL.

In the mean time we are trying to get as educated on the subject as possible,we appreciate all input