Ministry official’s error leaves renal failure patients in limbo
A mistake, purportedly made at the level of the Public Health Ministry, currently has the lives of two kidney failure patients, in dire need of transplants, hanging in the balance.
The patients are 28-yearold Richard Manpersaud of Seaforth Street, Campbellville, Georgetown and 17-year-old, Rovin Sohan, of Bush Lot, Berbice. The two have been suffering from kidney failure for some time and have been scheduled for transplants on February 19 and 20, 2018 respectively. This publication understands that the surgical procedures have already been slotted into the theatre schedule of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation to be undertaken by local Kidney Surgeon, Dr. Kishore Persaud. However, the patients, who have secured donors, are dependent on the cross-matching services of the University of Miami, United States. This publication was privy to information which clearly shows that the GPHC has been working in close collaboration with the Miami University since 2015 to facilitate cross-matching services to Guyanese patients who underwent kidney transplant surgeries at the public hospital. However, following an unprecedented development two Mondays ago, this publication was informed that a decision was made by the Ministry to have the public health sector’s collaboration with the University of Miami be discontinued. The genesis of this state of affairs this publication has learnt stemmed from a visit by the two kidney failure patients to the Ministry of Public Health to solicit financial support to facilitate the cross-matching tests. While Manpersaud was able to raise funds about a year ago to facilitate the process at the very university when his brother was willing to donate to his kidney [to Manpersaud], because his brother fell ill the planned surgery was cancelled. Manpersaud has since been able to secure another donor in the person of his brotherin-law. Worried that he would not be able to solicit public funding again to undertake the cross-matching tests again, Manpersaud found himself in a similar financial predicament to Sohan. They both decided to seek help from the Public Health Ministry as other kidney failure patients before them had done.
(Kaieteurnews)