Shamima Akter, second woman who received Sarah Islam's kidney, also dies

Shamima Akter, a recipient of a kidney from brain-dead patient Sarah Islam, died last night (2 April) at the capital's Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU).

Professor Dr Habibur Rahman Dulal of BSMMU's Department of Urology confirmed the death.

He said, "Shamima was out of our care for the last six months. Recently, her brother told us her creatinine levels had increased, and she lost a lot of weight."

Dr Dulal noted that a follow-up is essential for a patient after a kidney transplant.

"Shamima was then admitted to the BSMMU three weeks ago. Four days later, she was admitted to the ICU as her condition initially did not improve.

"She was diagnosed with Hepatitis-C. Accordingly, we started dialysis. During her treatment, she was also taken to a different hospital. But as her condition did not change, she was transferred to the ICU where she breathed her last around 9:00pm on Tuesday," the doctor said.

Doctors usually view organ donation as a gift of new life. Despite Sarah's death, who was declared brain-dead at age 20, her gift of organ donation brought new life to two kidney patients and two optical patients in the country's first cadaveric kidney transplant – the process of transplanting kidneys from a brain-dead person.

The first instance of a posthumous kidney transplant occurred on 19 January last year. 

One of the kidney patients, Shamima Akter, was believed to be living healthily, while the other recipient, Hasina Akter, had passed away in October 2023.

Sarah Islam was pronounced clinically dead on 18 January after being terminally ill since childhood from tuberous sclerosis. 

Her final act was termed 'heroic' by doctors as she was the first patient in the country to posthumously donate two kidneys and cornea.

On 24 January this year, two individuals grappling with kidney diseases underwent transplant surgeries using organs from a 38-year-old brain-dead donor, marking the second such procedure in the country's medical history.

The life-saving surgeries were conducted at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU) and the National Kidney Foundation in the capital.

In Bangladesh, around two crore people are suffering from kidney diseases and many of them die without receiving a transplant due to lack of donors.

Experts now call on the relatives of the brain-dead to come forward to allow donations in order to save the lives of those in need.

The first kidney transplant in Bangladesh was performed in 1982, and around 3,500 transplants have been conducted so far. 

However, doctors estimate that the country requires at least 5,000 kidney transplants per year.