By: Tiana Cole | HGPTV Nightly News
Guyana and Brazil have taken a significant step toward strengthening organ donation and transplantation services, launching a joint initiative aimed at modernizing systems, training personnel, and developing new action plans to enhance national healthcare capacity.
On Monday, Minister of Health, Dr. Frank Anthony, met with a visiting delegation from Brazil’s Ministry of Health and the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC) to advance collaboration under the Prospective Mission on Organ Donation and Transplantation, held from November 10–11, 2025, in Georgetown.
The Brazilian delegation, which includes technical experts from the country’s National Transplant Programme, is conducting a rapid assessment of Guyana’s current transplant infrastructure to identify key areas for improvement, capacity building, and system upgrades.
Minister Anthony emphasized the urgent need to accelerate the establishment of the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Laboratory, which plays a vital role in ensuring compatibility between donors and recipients during transplant procedures.
“This collaboration will allow us to strengthen every stage of the transplant process—from donor matching and organ retrieval to surgical operations and post-transplant care,” Dr. Anthony stated.
The Minister also highlighted plans to train laboratory staff, introduce quality assurance protocols, and improve coordination across hospitals to ensure readiness for organ transplantation on a national scale.
As part of the mission, the Brazilian experts will visit several key facilities, including the Nephrology and Transplantation Departments and the Central Medical Laboratory at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC). The team will engage in technical discussions with local clinicians to identify areas for joint research, training, and operational support.
Following the site visits and consultations, the delegation will develop a detailed Action Plan with specific activities and timelines to address the identified gaps in Guyana’s system. Implementation of the plan is expected to begin immediately after the mission concludes.
The initiative marks another milestone in the growing health partnership between Guyana and Brazil, aimed at ensuring improved access to lifesaving organ transplant services and advancing regional cooperation in healthcare innovation.
