By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

HEALTH and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville said the government expects to launch the Bahamas National Organ Transplant Programme before the end of the year.

During his Budget contribution yesterday, he said as officials determine what is required to execute and sustain the programme, kidney transplants will be the first performed through the programme.

“My ministry, along with our local transplant nephrology team, have been working closely with United Kingdom based consultants who have advised us of what is needed to execute and sustain a local Bahamas National Organs Transplant Programme,” he said.

“We have also collaborated with partners in Cuba for guidance on the implementation of such a programme and expect to launch this programme before the end of this year.

“Much of the work to support the programme has been completed, and the funding in this budget will be used to train additional staff and purchase the balance of equipment and supplies needed to perform these lifesaving procedures at the Princess Margaret Hospital.”

Dr Darville defended the hospital’s “lifesaving procedures” capabilities.

He said: “You know a lot of people don’t have nothing much good to say about the Princess Margret Hospital, but I want to let you know that we have some of the finest physicians, some of the finest nursing teams and allied healthcare professionals at the Princess Margaret Hospital.

“We have the capability to do some great things at that institution, and I want to commend them because we always hear the bad, and we never really hear the good, but they’re working hard on a daily basis saving lives and creating opportunities for the improvement of lifestyles.”

The Bahamas National Organs Transplant Programme is expected to start with kidney transplants from live donors to improve the quality of life for haemodialysis patients.

“This initiative is expected to reduce the ministry’s cost for the current public haemodialysis programme where more than 600 public patients receive treatment,” Dr Darville said.

He also said the government would add new drugs to the National Drug Prescription Plan to facilitate improvements in clinical outcomes of patients suffering from non-communicable diseases and transplant rejection drugs.

“The plan has drugs to treat non-communicable diseases, but the advancement of new drugs is not incorporated into the plan,” he said.

“We have taken a great look at this because we intend to add some additional drugs so we can get better outcomes for our patients and keep our patients out of the hospital. This new drug prescription plan will also add transplant rejection drugs.

“You see, it’s very difficult to do transplants, and then the patients who get transplants cannot afford the transplant medication, and so as part of the National Drug Prescription Plan, we will add anti-rejection drugs to the plan.”