National University Centre for Organ Transplantation (NUCOT) is Singapore's leading and only paedatric kidney transplant centre, with more than 700 successful transplants and outcomes comparable to international benchmarks.
Our paediatric kidney transplant team sees infants, children and adolescents up to the age of 21 who require long-term dialysis and kidney transplant. We work closely with the adult kidney transplant team to ensure that our patients transit seamlessly to adult care, and strive to provide holistic and family-focused medical care for all our patients.
Our team is experienced in the peri-transplant management of children with chronic kidney disease from a variety of causes including congenital abnormalities of the kidney and urinary tract, glomerulonephritis and hereditary renal disease. We also manage post-transplantation complications such as rejection, post-transplant infections, and related complications like post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder.
The committed team of specialty nurses, social workers, psychologists and child life therapists provides children with psychological and social support at the time of transplant. Furthermore, our psychosocial team follows through with the patient and their family, allowing us to identify issues on a timely basis and provide psychological support when needed.
We have a dedicated inpatient ward and an experienced Paediatric Intensive Care Unit for our transplant patients.
Find out more about kidney failure and its treatments, frequently asked questions about kidney transplant and donating your kidney here.
The paediatric team at NUCOT is committed in providing holistic care to our patient throughout their transplant journey. Our team comprises paediatric nephrologists, paediatric surgeons, specialty nurses, dietitians, social workers, psychologists, child life therapists and research staff specialising in children's kidney diseases and transplantation.
Directors
Professor Yap Hui Kim
Medical Director and Emeritus Consultant
Adj A/Prof Vidyadhar Mali
Surgical Director and Senior Consultant
Professor Yap Hui Kim
Emeritus Consultant
Associate Professor Ng Kar Hui
Senior Consultant
Dr Perry Lau
Senior Consultant
Dr Dale Lincoln Loh
Senior Consultant
Adj A/Prof Vidyadhar Mali
Senior Consultant
Dr Nyo Yoke Lin
Senior Consultant
Dr Sharon Teo
Consultant
Dr Lee Yang Yang
Associate Consultant
To date, NUCOT has performed more than 700 successful adult and paediatric living and deceased donor kidney transplantations. We continue to provide post-transplant care and medical follow-ups at our Specialist Outpatient Clinic. We perform most of the paediatric transplants, and on average close to half of the total number of kidney transplants (both living and deceased donor kidney transplants) in Singapore annually.
In 2020, NUCOT performed 37.9% of the total kidney transplants in Singapore (both living and deceased donor kidney transplants).1
NUCOT is also a national referral centre for Singapore's deceased kidney donations and transplants. In 2020, we performed 60% of the total number of deceased donor kidney transplants in Singapore.1
Recognised by the International Paediatric Nephrology Association, NUCOT is the regional centre for training in paediatric nephrology and transplantation in Asia. As part of our outreach programme, we have established Sister Kidney Centres in Myanmar and Bangladesh, and helped them develop their local paediatric kidney transplant programmes.
1Based on 2020 annual report from the Ministry of Health, National Organ Transplant Unit.
The first paediatric kidney transplant was performed in NUH in 1989 and since then, we have evolved into an established paediatric transplant centre in the region and internationally for both living and deceased donor transplants. Our post-transplant outcomes are well recognised and fare favourably in comparison with international benchmarks as illustrated in the tables below.
| Overall Graft Survival (Living Donor, 1989 – 2021) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 3-years | 5-years | |
| NUCOT (n=57) | 98.1% | 93.9% | 91.7% |
| NAPRTCS1 | 94.0% | 88.0% | 83.0% |
| Overall Graft Survival (Deceased Donor, 1989 – 2021) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 3-years | 5-years | |
| NUCOT (n=31) | 90.3% | 76.7% | 76.7% |
| NAPRTCS1 | 88.0% | 78.0% | 71.0% |
| Overall Patient Survival (Deceased Donor, 1989 – 2021) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-year | 3-years | 5-years | |
| Transplant (n=90) | 96.5% | 93.8% | 91.5% |
| Dialysis (n=167) | 96.1% | 89.0% | 81.5% |
1North American Paediatric Renal Trials and Collaborative Studies, 2014
NUCOT has established many major paediatric kidney transplant milestones over the years and some of our milestone achievements are listed below:
2023
2022
Click here for more news related to NUCOT’s kidney transplant.
National University Centre for Organ Transplantation (NUCOT) provides pre and post-transplant patients with comprehensive, dedicated and individualised care. We also welcome potential living organ donors to get in touch with us.
Referrals to NUCOT
NUCOT takes in self-referrals and referrals from healthcare practitioners. Patients can do a self-referral by contacting our NUCOT clinic directly or have your primary physician refer you to us.
Click here for our NUCOT clinic's location, contact details and operating hours or to make an appointment with us.
