April 17, 2024 will forever be marked in the history of the Pênfigo Adventist Hospital in Brazil (Hospital Adventista do Pênfigo - HAP). On that date, ordinance No. 1605 was published in the Official Gazette of the Union, which gives HAP the qualification to be the first health institution in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil to perform liver transplants.

The publication came after the visit of representatives from the region's Ministry of Health, who were at the hospital in March, and on that occasion signed the document that ensures the suitability of the institution's Main Unit, accredited in the Unified Health System (SUS), to carry out surgical procedures.

Known in Mato Grosso do Sul for being a reference in orthopedics, HAP also aimed to serve a significant portion of the state's population who are anxiously awaiting a liver transplant. To this end, in 2021 the hospital began the process of documenting and adapting the physical structure to comply with all the requirements recommended by the Ministry of Health for carrying out transplants.

The positive news arrived precisely in the month before the institution's 75th anniversary celebrations.

With the implementation of the Transplant Center, HAP will move from the list of hospitals that only perform low and medium complexity procedures to the list of institutions that perform highly complex surgeries. Everton Martin, HAP's general director, views the change with optimism. “This is another step in the field of medicine aiming for new goals to be achieved.”

In 2022, HAP became a center for screening liver disease patients in Mato Grosso do Sul through outpatient care and hospitalization of people with indications for transplantation. However, these patients treated by HAP perform surgeries in Sorocaba, a municipality in the interior of São Paulo, Brazil.

The person following the journey of these candidates is surgeon Gustavo Rapassi. Head of the team that will work on transplants, Rapassi explained that “many patients end up dying on the way because they cannot handle the trip to Sorocaba, hence the importance of treating them here in Campo Grande”. The specialist also highlighted that there is now an expectation of carrying out at least 69 liver surgeries per year in the region.

Hope for Patients

Dayana Ferreira, 20 years old, is on the list of patients eagerly awaiting the call to receive a new organ. Diagnosed in childhood with Chronic Autoimmune Hepatitis, the young woman had to learn from an early age to deal with the challenges of the disease. Six months ago,Ferreira was recommended a transplant and since then she has kept the hope of a new life alive. “If I've come this far, why can't I go further? And with the transplant this will be a new beginning.”

For Ferreira's dream and that of so many other patients in Mato Grosso do Sul to become a reality, it is still necessary to sign a contract with the Municipality of Mato Grosso do Sul. After this process, all patients who are allocated to transplant queues from other states will become part of the state's own queue in addition to being able to perform the surgery close to home. “I believe it will help a lot, especially in recovery, knowing that we will be close to home and that the family will be close”, declared Ferreira.

The original article was published on the South American Division Portuguese website.