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During the congress, E-Posters will be accessible to all participants on the congress website 24/7, as well as in the E-poster stations in the congress center.
Preparing your E-Poster
Please review the E-Poster format requirements carefully when preparing your E-Poster. Should your E-Poster not meet the mentioned requirements, it may not be displayed as described above.
E-Poster Submission Deadline
Please prepare and upload your E-Poster no later than March 14, 2026 11.59PM CET. After this date, you will no longer be able to prepare and upload your E-poster and it will not be displayed and accessible on the congress website.
Please follow the instructions below to input your abstract title.
Abstract titles should be brief and reflect the content of the abstract.
End-stage renal disease (ESRD) carries a catastrophic prognosis in sub-Saharan Africa due to the limited availability and high cost of renal replacement therapy. Kidney transplantation, the optimal treatment, has been largely inaccessible in the region. We report on the establishment and early outcomes of Uganda's pioneering kidney transplant program, analyzing both clinical results and the implementation challenges
A mixed-methods study was conducted, integrating a prospective analysis of the first nine consecutive living-donor kidney transplant recipients with a qualitative assessment of programmatic logistics. Data collected included recipient and donor demographics, etiology of ESRD, surgical and post-operative outcomes, immunosuppressive protocols, and graft function (serum creatinine) at 1, 2, and 3 months’ post-transplant. The qualitative component documented challenges related to donor screening, histocompatibility testing, medication access, and follow-up care.
Between 2023 and 2025, nine recipients (median age 24 years [IQR 21-34], 56% male) underwent transplantation. Hypertension was the leading cause of ESRD (78%). All donors were related living donors. Induction and maintenance immunosuppression were uniform (ATG/Mycophenolic acid/Methylprednisolone and Tacrolimus/MPA/Prednisone, respectively). At one-month post-transplant, median creatinine was 99 μmol/L (IQR 81-137). One patient experienced delayed graft function requiring temporary haemodialysis. All other patients had immediate graft function. At three months, available data (n=3) showed excellent graft function (median creatinine 150 μmol/L). Key programmatic findings included: reliance on international HLA matching (cost: ~$1,250 USD per pair), universal CMV/PJP prophylaxis, and significant challenges in sustaining patient access to costly immunosuppressive medications post-discharge. The median hospital stay was 24 days (IQR 14-24).
This study demonstrates that a successful kidney transplant program in a low-resource setting is clinically feasible, with excellent short-term graft survival outcomes comparable to global standards. However, the "success beyond the numbers" is precarious, hinging on overcoming critical systemic barriers. Long-term sustainability requires developing local HLA-typing capacity, securing reliable drug supply chains, and implementing innovative financing models to mitigate the out-of-pocket costs for patients. This pioneering program offers a replicable framework for similar settings while underscoring the imperative for health system strengthening to ensure equitable access.
