A Belfast hospital has successfully performed the first living donor organ transplant on a child in the whole of Ireland and Britain since the coronavirus crisis began.
The child at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children received a kidney in the operation.
Because the organ donor was an adult, the process involved collaboration between the paediatric team and the adult service at Belfast City Hospital.
Steps were taken to ensure the process was conducted safely to protect patients and staff in this "important milestone", the Belfast health trust said.
"The efforts of the public to socially distance, stay at home and reduce the strain on the health service were vital to ensuring we had capacity to deliver this service for patients who needed it the most," it said.
Dr Mairead Convery, consultant paediatric nephrologist, expressed her joy at the team successfully completing the transplant, which happened earlier this month.
"We are absolutely delighted to be the first centre in the UK or Ireland to be able to perform a living donor transplant," she said.
"There were many tiers we had to go through to get this arranged as we had to take careful consideration of the risks and benefits to the patients and their donors who are giving the most amazing gift that could ever be given, especially to a child.
"Many children on the transplant list need dialysis on a daily basis and this places a huge burden on them and their families.
"It was very important to work on this to benefit the families and improve the quality of live for the children we care for.
"It is great to say we in Northern Ireland were the first to take this huge step."
The transplant follows successful work undertaken by the trust's adult renal and nephrology service increasing deceased donor transplants during Covid-19.
The Belfast Health and Social Care Trust praised all those involved in the organ transplant process.
"We would like to thank everyone involved in helping us deliver this important milestone," a spokesman said.
"We appreciate the efforts of our staff in bringing this collaborative work together in the best interests of our patients during such an uncertain time.
"Most importantly, we would like to thank our patient, their family and the donor for their courage and co-operation throughout the process."
