First kidney exchange in Hong Kong

 The Standard has the story:

First paired kidney donation in Hong Kong completed successfully,   3 Nov 2021

"The first paired kidney donation has been successfully completed in Hong Kong, with the two patients involved discharged from hospital by the end of September.  

"The Hospital Authority launched the Paired Kidney Donation Pilot Programme in 2018, allowing cross matches between two patients waiting for kidney transplants and their respective family m"embers.  

"The families could not donate a kidney to their own loved ones due to incompatible blood groups or human leucocyte antigens.  

"The first case was successfully matched in June this year, and the two pairs of patients and their families were discharged from the hospital by the end of September. 

...

""The number of successful cadaveric and living kidney transplants is fewer than 80 per year, but the number of people waiting for transplant has reached 2,300," Lee said. "Each of them can only live for an average of 54 months longer if they fail to get a transplant.” 

...

"The team said the biggest challenge was to ensure the operations of both families are carried out at the same time. 

"In addition, to make sure that the patients would not know the identity of the other, there should also be special arrangements for admission registration and their entry into operating theaters. "