Hospitals seeking certification as kidney transplant centres will receive collaborative support from the Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Agency (HOATTA) to identify gaps and strengthen capacity in areas requiring further development, the agency said at a sensitisation session held with private and public hospital representatives and specialist clinicians.
According to a release, the session which formed part of HOATTA’s ongoing work to support implementation of the Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Act No. 1 of 2022, brought together representatives from Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation, St Joseph Mercy Hospital and Woodlands Hospital Inc, along with intensive care physicians, nephrologists and transplant surgeons.
Delivering welcome remarks, HOATTA Secretariat Chief Executive Officer Dr Gordon noted that certification was central to protecting patients and upholding the integrity of the transplant programme. “Certification is not about creating barriers. It is about setting the standard,” she said, adding that it assures the public that any institution performing living kidney donation and transplantation has the capacity, team, systems and safeguards to do so safely, ethically and transparently.
Building on those remarks, HOATTA Chairperson Dr Shanti Singh-Anthony outlined the Act’s provisions relating to the Designated Officer and Designated Hospital, describing a three-step certification process beginning with a facility’s application, followed by an assessment by a Health Facility Certification Assessment Team, and concluding with HOATTA’s recommendation to the Minister of Health for designation as a Transplant Centre. She explained that HOATTA recognised the local context and challenges hospitals may face in meeting mandatory requirements, including the mandatory Transplant Coordinator role, and stood ready to work collaboratively with facilities.
Turning to the technical requirements, HOATTA Member and Certification Focal Point Dr David Samaroo presented the Transplant Centre Certification Manual, guiding participants through requirements covering technical human resources, infrastructure, equipment, clinical protocols and standard operating procedures. He stressed that the framework places particular emphasis on establishing a multidisciplinary kidney transplant team of qualified surgeons, nephrologists and transplant nurses, with each requirement assessed as fully met, partially met or not met before recommendations are issued.
Reacting to the session, Institutional Review Board Chair Dr Rita Gobin maintained that donation must remain voluntary and free from coercion, while certification provides assurance of the ethical safeguards required to maintain public trust.
Hospital leadership echoed that sentiment. St Joseph Mercy Hospital Chief Executive Officer Enoch Gaskin shared that certification would allow his institution to contribute directly to improving outcomes for chronic kidney disease patients, while Woodlands Hospital Chief Executive Officer Dr Vilas Gobin welcomed the Manual as a clear framework for strengthening clinical governance as the hospital develops its Kidney Transplant Programme.
Dr. Shanti Singh-Anthony
