Guyana leading kidney transplant country within Caricom – Dr Ramsammy

With the government exhausting billions into Guyana’s health sector, it has now become the leading kidney transplant country within the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). This is according to Advisor to the Health Minister and Guyana’s Ambassador to Switzerland, Dr Leslie Ramsammy.
Ramsammy during a recent edition of the health ministry’s ‘Health Matters’ programme highlighted that each year more than 10 percent of the global population is affected by chronic kidney disease however public health entities continue to neglect this important problem. “I would like to call on public health agencies, ministries of health, World Health Organisation (WHO) and other public health entities to up their game, we need more attention on kidney disease, it is a major health problem but just like HIV in the 1980’s we continue to neglect this important problem,” he stated.
In this regard Dr Ramsammy underscored that with the health of citizens being the number one priority Guyana has made significant strides in making more medications and modern services are becoming available particularly for people suffering from kidney diseases. “Guyana has recently upped its own game when it comes to kidney replacement therapy this is what people generally know as dialysis and kidney transplant, we have become the leading kidney transplant country in CARICOM and in 2024 we are expanding the programme and making it a center of excellence” he stated.
In March, Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) became the first locally certified kidney transplant center by the country’s Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Agency (HOATTA).
However, Ramsammy noted that kidney replacement therapy such as dialysis and kidney transplants are last resorts. In this regard he noted that health officials have to identify people with kidney diseases or those at risk early. “Testing like HbA1c, albumin creatinine ratio etc. should not only be for those who are already sick but we should identify populations that are at risk and test them regularly” he stated.
Additionally, Ramsammy highlighted the increase in access for dialysis treatment for patients. This comes in the form of the $600,000 subvention that the government provides annually for each person who is in need of dialysis treatment.” Currently the government provides every citizen in need of dialysis with a subvention of $600,000 annually, this does not include the testing that we provide for each patient which brings the subsidy to more than a million dollars per year” he stated.
The advisor noted that, to keep the country on track with the achievement of leading CARICOM in kidney transplant surgeries, the ministry is in the process of not only rolling out medications such as the HbA1C to persons who are already diagnosed with the disease but also implementing it within the primary healthcare system.