The Tribune

By RASHAD ROLLE

Tribune News Editor

rrolle@tribunemedia.net

MORE than a year after the government launched its renal transplant programme with a landmark operation at Princess Margaret Hospital, Health and Wellness Minister Dr Michael Darville says no date has been set for a second procedure as officials train a local team, secure equipment, renovate operating theatres and arrange free anti-rejection medication for recipients.

Dr Darville acknowledged that there had been a gap since the programme’s first living-donor kidney transplant in June 2025, when a father donated a kidney to his son after the recipient had spent three years on dialysis. “I cannot give a date,” he said when asked when the next transplant would take place.

The minister said the first operation relied on collaboration with regional transplant programmes, but the government is now working to build a team capable of carrying out the procedures locally.

“There has been a gap because there had to be training,” Dr Darville said. “The first transplant we did in country was in collaboration with transplant programmes in Barbados, and I think it's Trinidad or Suriname.”

The June 18, 2025, operation was performed by Bahamian specialists working with surgeons from Trinidad and Barbados. Doctors said the five-hour procedure was successful and that both the donor and recipient were doing well immediately afterwards. It was the first living-donor transplant conducted under the Public Hospitals Authority’s Renal Transplant Programme, although kidney transplants had previously been performed in The Bahamas.

Dr Darville said the government is nearing the point where transplants could be performed by an entirely local team.

“We have been building that team, and we have been procuring the necessary equipment necessary in order for us to do it,” he said.

He said operating theatres are also being renovated before the programme begins performing procedures more regularly.

The programme is being led by transplant surgeon Dr Vantario Taylor and transplant nephrologist Dr Rhea Thurston-Carroll.

Dr Darville said preparations have also required changes to the government’s drug formulary to ensure transplant recipients can obtain the medication needed to prevent their bodies from rejecting donated kidneys.

“We need to make sure that our formulary was changed so that the rejection drugs could be incorporated in our formulary because the last thing you want is a transplant, and the person who get the transplant cannot afford the drugs,” he said.

He said anti-rejection medication would be provided free of charge to every person who receives a transplant through the local programme.

The government had signalled as early as June 2023 that it intended to establish a national organ transplant programme, beginning with kidney transplants from living donors. Dr Darville said at the time that the initiative was intended to improve the quality of life of haemodialysis patients and ease the cost of a public dialysis programme serving more than 600 people.

The programme was initially expected to begin before the end of 2023, but officials later said the timetable had slipped because facilities had to be completed, nurses trained overseas, staff selected and transplant legislation drafted.

By May 2025, the government had allocated $1.59m to the programme for the 2025/2026 fiscal year, with projected funding of $3m in 2026/2027 and $4.5m the following year.

The Public Hospitals Authority has warned that it had spent more than $15m over three years providing dialysis to approximately 600 patients and could not sustainably manage the growing caseload.