Dr. Sung-Gyu Lee's team from AMC's Organ Transplantation Center, has successfully performed Mongolia's first living donor liver transplantation on site in Ulan Bator.
On September 24th, Dr. Lee and the supporting team of 15 medical personnel from AMC, successfully performed an 18-hour liver transplant surgery at State Hospital No. 1. The recipient was Mongolian native Mrs. Tungalag, who was battling with liver cirrhosis.
Because of Mongolia's underdeveloped medical environment, Mrs. Tungalag had been at the brink of death with no treatment options. But, after receiving a thorough examination at AMC in Seoul with the help of missionaries in early September, her life was able to be saved by medical personnel dispatched to Mongolia from AMC.
Dr. Sung-Gyu Lee, the surgeon who successfully performed the surgery, remarked on its significance in light of Korea's own history, saying, "Just as Korean medicine was able to reach a world-class level through support from the West when Korea was poor, now it is Korea's turn to carry out medical technology transfer with countries in need."
The surgery was planned after the Mongolian government requested technology transfer in this field to AMC's world-class organ transplantation team. In Mongolia, 18% of the population carry hepatitis, and their Ministry of Health is seeking to cope with the soaring incidence of related liver diseases, including cirrhosis and liver cancer.
AMC's Organ Transplantation Team has reached a world record number of living donor liver transplantations, and is the only hospital in the world to have surpassed 300 liver transplants annually for four years in a row. To help support the establishment of a self-sufficient liver transplantation system in Mongolia, AMC has provided surgical equipment, facilities and training valued at ￦400 million won (over $350,000 US dollars). Plans have been made to jointly perform four more living donor liver transplants alongside Mongolian surgeons in October and November.
