MINISTRY OF HEALTH WEIGHS THE POSSIBILITY OF PERFORMING RENAL TRANSPLANTS IN ST. KITTS AND NEVIS

BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, May 11, 2023 (SKNIS) – The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis, under the leadership of Prime Minister and Minister of Health, the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, has made great strides in improving the standard of healthcare delivery in the Federation through procuring critical pieces of medical equipment, training medical personnel and introducing the services of medical specialists at the Joseph N. France General Hospital. 

However, Prime Minister Dr. Drew said his government intends to do more for the people of St. Kitts and Nevis. During The Roundtable interview with members of the media on Thursday, May 11, 2023, Dr. Drew said the Ministry of Health intends on widening the scope of services offered here in St. Kitts and Nevis as it is now exploring the possibility of having renal transplant being done at the JNF Hospital. Preliminary discussions have already been held with a specialist in this regard. 

“I know we have received the dialysis machine; we have received the general surgeons and increased the surgical equipment for anaesthesiology. I am bringing in a very experienced anesthesiologist. I have already spoken to him–he is Kittitian born–to join our experienced team that is already there. I am touching base with the lab to do the cross-matching that would tell you if someone can receive a kidney from someone else and the surgeon who I am bringing here in the next six weeks, we are going to start [looking at] the possibility of having renal transplant here. I am going to push it so that next year we can really pursue our first renal transplant in St. Kitts,” Prime Minister Dr. Drew said. 

Renal, or kidney transplant, is the transfer of a healthy kidney from one person into the body of another person who has little or no kidney function.

The health minister said these types of medical services are becoming more necessary in today’s society. 

“There are a lot of our people who are on dialysis. Dialysis helps significantly and we need to pursue it. I would always say that prevention is better; control the blood pressure, the blood sugar, your weight and what you eat; these are the most important things but for those who are already ill we want to do all that we can to help them, and dialysis is very good, but the best way is to have a renal transplant. Renal transplant is becoming routine and when I see all the patients who go to JNF for dialysis, these young people, why can’t they have a renal transplant? Their brother might be able to donate, their sister, their cousin, a friend or a good Samaritan that would give them a new lease on life that of course they cannot totally and fully enjoy just on dialysis,” Prime Minister Dr. Drew added.