HOATTA supports hospital certification for kidney transplants in Guyana

The Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Agency (HOATTA) has initiated a sensitization program to assist hospitals in meeting certification requirements for kidney transplantation in Guyana. This initiative supports the implementation of the Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Act No. 1 of 2022.

Representatives from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, St Joseph Mercy Hospital, and Woodlands Hospital Inc, along with specialists such as nephrologists and transplant surgeons, participated in the sessions. HOATTA officials stated that the certification process is designed to set standards rather than create barriers, ensuring that institutions performing living kidney donations have the necessary capacity, systems, and safeguards to operate safely and ethically.

The certification process involves a three-step procedure: a facility application, an assessment by a Health Facility Certification Assessment Team, and a final recommendation to the Minister of Health for designation as a Transplant Centre.