Guyana is preparing its healthcare system to undertake organ transplants from deceased donors, while developing local laboratory services for compatibility tests that previously had to be sent to Miami.
The developments form part of efforts to strengthen the national organ transplant programme, with the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) playing a central role, according to a statement from the hospital.
Chief Medical Officer Dr Narine Singh outlined the plans during a presentation on the Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Agency of Guyana (HOTA) at the 19th Guyana Medical Research Conference.
Preparing for deceased donor transplantation is among the programme’s major priorities. However, the process will require coordination across emergency departments, intensive care units, surgical teams, laboratory services and other areas of the healthcare system.
Dr Singh explained that systems must be in place to identify potential donors, obtain consent, retrieve and transport organs, match them with suitable recipients and provide long-term care.
Clinical protocols have already been developed to guide brain death determination, donor and recipient evaluation, organ allocation and transplant procedures. Healthcare professionals have also received training, while partnerships with institutions in Spain and Brazil are helping to build local expertise.
Another major development is the establishment of Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) testing capabilities at the National Public Health Reference Laboratory.
These tests help determine compatibility between organ donors and recipients. Previously, samples had to be sent to Miami for testing, but equipment and supplies have now been acquired for the local laboratory.
Personnel are undergoing specialised training in Brazil to build Guyana’s capacity to conduct HLA testing and cross-matching locally.
The preparations build on kidney transplant services which have been available in Guyana since 2008. GPHC was officially certified in March 2024 as the country’s first kidney transplant centre, placing its services under established national standards and regulatory oversight.
HOTA, established in 2023, provides the formal framework for regulating organ donation, procurement and transplantation.
Dr Singh stressed that expansion of the programme must be accompanied by strict ethical standards, protection for living donors and fair allocation of organs, regardless of a patient’s wealth, social standing or other personal circumstances.
Public education is also being pursued to build confidence in organ donation, alongside efforts to prevent chronic diseases that can lead to organ failure.
According to the statement, the long-term goal is a sustainable national transplant programme that gives patients across Guyana equitable access to treatment, including those living beyond the coast.
