GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC – Regulations that will govern how transplants will be conducted in Guyana are currently being developed with international expert assistance to ensure they are in keeping with best practices. International standards in health care, Minister of Health Dr. Frank Anthony said on Friday.
Last year, the Tissue and Organ Transplant Act was passed in the National Assembly to provide a legal framework for transplanting human organs, tissues, cells, and biofluids.
The Ministry of Health has partnered with the Donation and Transplantation Institute (DTI) in Barcelona, which has years of experience developing these guidelines.
Minister Anthony said these regulations would meet international requirements and improve how transplants are done in Guyana.
Professionals in this field will be trained by experts from the DTI with whom Minister Anthony has already met to discuss the way forward.
“I think this first visit for the year from DTI would not be their last because we intend to have very close collaboration with them so that we can improve in the area of transplant, and all the standards that we put in place here would meet the international requirements,” he said.
The newly passed legislation will allow for regenerative medicine, including cell therapy, gene therapy, and stem cell therapy, geared toward treating patients who may need these types of medical procedures.
The Health Minister said on Friday that the government aims to expand the range of transplants offered.
“Right now, we do two types of transplants. We do the living organ donor for kidneys and corneal transplants for patients who need them. So, we have been doing that, but we want to expand the range of options we’ll have for transplants,” he explained.
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