Hospital Director Sonsay Latsavong said on July 25 that the hospital is fully equipped with trained medical personnel, specialized equipment, modern facilities, and comprehensive patient care systems to provide kidney transplant services domestically.
Friendship Hospital has been a national referral center for kidney care since introducing hemodialysis in 1994. Kidney transplantation now represents the highest level of treatment available for patients with end-stage chronic kidney disease. The Ministry of Health has authorized Friendship Hospital and Military Central Hospital 103 to perform kidney transplant surgery.

The transplant programme has been developed through a non-profit technical cooperation project with Ramathibodi Hospital in Thailand under a memorandum of understanding signed in 2023. Lao medical personnel have received specialized training at Ramathibodi's Organ Transplant Center and through clinical programmes at Friendship Hospital.
To support the programme, the hospital has established a multidisciplinary transplant team comprising nephrologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, cardiologists, endocrinologists, infectious disease specialists, pharmacists, psychiatrists, specialized nurses, and nutritionists.
The hospital said all transplant procedures strictly comply with Ministry of Health regulations and national laws. Living kidney donors must be close relatives, with family relationships verified through local authorities and DNA testing to prevent organ trafficking. Both donors and recipients undergo comprehensive medical evaluations and multidisciplinary case reviews before surgery.
Friendship Hospital performed its first kidney transplant on Nov. 18, 2024, followed by a second successful transplant on Oct. 8, 2025. Both recipients continue to receive regular follow-up care at the hospital and have recovered well, returning to normal daily lives.
Hospital officials said the successful procedures demonstrate the growing technical capacity of Laos' public health system and will enable more patients to access advanced kidney transplant treatment without traveling abroad.