YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–The transplantation of a kidney provided by a living donor was performed for the first time at the Yerevan-based medical center "Arabkir" under the health care program "Daughter centers" being implemented by Armenia–Switzerland and Belgium. Two surgeries were performed by surgeons Ara Babloyan–Sahak Arakelian and a surgeon from Belgium–Thery Chapel. On April 14 surgeons operated on Stepan–19–who received a kidney from his mother. A kidney for Aghassi–26–was taken from his father.
According to director of the "Arabkir" center–ex- Health Care Minister Ara Babloyan–each surgery lasted 6 hours. The transplantation itself lasted 40 minutes–which–according to him–is an optimal time for such an operation. The surgeries were went on without complications and the state of both patients and their parents is normal.
Ninety percent of costs were covered by the United Children’s Fund of the medical center "Arabkir." The patients covered only 10 percent of the cost–about $5,000.
The transplantation of organs is not covered in the state budget and no relevant legislation has been adopted so far–which creates impedimen’s.