8 kidney transplants completed in GPHC’s chain programme

The Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation has reached a major surgical benchmark, completing the country’s first chain kidney transplant series, an unprecedented medical achievement that positions Guyana at the forefront of renal care in the Caribbean.

The milestone was announced during a press conference at the GPHC Resource Centre on Wednesday, where Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony hailed the outcome as proof that local clinicians can deliver complex, world-class procedures once given the systems, investment, and technical support to do so.
Between September 29 and October 2, 2025, the GPHC Resource Centre hosted briefing updates on the intense four-day surgical period in which a total of eight procedures were performed, and four donor-recipient pairs were successfully matched and transplanted.
A kidney transplant chain, as explained by clinicians, is a continuous sequence of living-donor kidney exchanges initiated by an altruistic donor, where each recipient’s incompatible donor contributes their kidney to another waiting patient, enabling their original family member or loved one to receive a compatible organ from a different matched donor. This model maximises the number of life-saving surgeries by overcoming biological incompatibility through multiple paired matches rather than a single two-way swap.
This operational breakthrough was described by Dr Anthony as “astronomical work” and “a second-chance moment” for the national health system. He credited the success to meticulous planning, expanded human capital, and unparalleled execution by both surgical and nephrology teams.
“Transplants started here, these kidney transplants started here many, many years ago. It started in the private sector here, but eventually when it came to the Georgetown Public Hospital, this is something that we have continued and built a local team to make sure that the program was sustainable. And that was very important. And I think over the years, we have expanded the program, you heard the stats, and we’ve been able to help a lot more people benefit from transplants… So, I think there are lots of good things that we have seen from this program. But again, they are the transcenders, they are the pioneers in the Caribbean, and they are the leaders, I would say now, in the Caribbean. And we want to keep it that way. And I think with these new additions that we are doing, Guyana will continue to be at the forefront of transplants,” the Minister explained.
According to Anthony, one of the biggest systemic bottlenecks has been Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) testing, which historically required samples to be sent abroad – most frequently to the US – at a cost of approximately US$3000 per patient. He confirmed that steps are already being taken to repatriate this diagnostic process.
“And we bought all the equipment that we need to do HLA testing. And earlier, before we started this press conference, myself and Dr. Rambaran, we went across to the National Public Health Reference Lab. And they were showing us they have the equipment here. But this equipment also needs us to have specially trained persons to be able to do the actual testing and the interpretation. And so, one of the things that we have done is identify one of our doctors who will be going to India in the new year to be trained by the Apollo Hospital so that they can do HLA testing upon their return in Guyana. So, this would add to what the program is doing because we would now be able to do HLA testing here in the country,” he explained.
He also revealed expanded mobility partnerships across Europe and Latin America, noting earlier training exchanges in Spain at medical hubs near Barcelona – including Barcelona, where Guyanese surgeons received observational exposure to automation and organ matching systems.
Anthony disclosed that GPHC will now formalise a new bilateral training agreement with the donation research body known as the Donation Transplant Institute, offering new 2026 scholarship allotments for local surgeons, nephrologists, coordinators, and transplant officers.
“The partnership is not just about kidney transplants,” he said. “It is about preparing for other types of transplants we want to explore in the future.”
Additional clinical training links were also confirmed with Brazil’s major transplant centres, as well as renal-health research bridges in Canada.