Saudi hospital has become a global leader in organ transplants

RIYADH: has become a world-leading facility for organ transplantation.

KFSHRC’s Organ Transplant Centre of Excellence has garnered international acclaim for its expertise in solid-organ transplants, including liver, kidney and lung procedures, said the hospital in a statement on Monday.

In the past year, the hospital successfully conducted 1,092 transplants.

KFSHRC has performed a series of groundbreaking surgeries, most notably the world’s first liver transplant from a living donor using robotic technology in both organ retrieval and implantation.

Building on this success, the surgical team recently completed the world’s first fully robotic heart transplant, further solidifying Saudi Arabia’s position as a global leader in healthcare innovation.

Since the program’s inception in 1981, the hospital has performed 9,000 successful transplants.

Recognizing the critical challenge of donor-patient compatibility, particularly in kidney transplants, KFSHRC established the pioneering Kidney Paired Donation program.

This program facilitates the exchange of living donors with incompatible blood types and tissues between multiple patients, significantly increasing the pool of available organs and reducing waiting times.

The KPD program has enabled KFSHRC to perform over 5,000 kidney transplants.

KFSHRC’s commitment extends beyond the transplant surgery itself. Understanding prevention’s crucial role in patient well-being, the hospital established a specialized vaccination clinic for solid-organ transplant recipients in 2023.

This clinically tailored vaccination plans for each patient’s unique immune status and type of transplant, minimizes the risk of infections that could compromise outcomes.

The clinic has already served over 150 patients, achieving a high compliance rate for the Shingrix vaccine.

For the second consecutive year, KFSHRC has secured the top spot in the Middle East and Africa, and ranks 20th among the world’s top 250 academic medical centers.

Brand Finance recognized the facility as the most valuable healthcare brand in the Middle East for 2024.

Newsweek magazine also included the facility among the world’s best 250 hospitals and in the World’s Best Smart Hospitals list for 2025.