No ban on overseas tissue operations

HEALTH MINISTER John Rahael yesterday said Government was not banning anyone from going to Pakistan or any other country to undergo a tissue transplant, and the regulations to effect the Human Tissue Transplant Act 2000 will be completed before the July 31 deadline he has given his staff. Commenting on a report which said the Health Ministry was preparing an advisory, telling people not to travel to Pakistan to undergo tissue transplants, Rahael said Government was not preventing citizens from going to Pakistan, but simply telling them to be careful of where they seek treatment in that nation.

Former Presbyterian Church moderator, Rev Allison Nobbee, died last month at the San Fernando General Hospital due to complications arising from a kidney transplant he underwent in Pakistan. Former health minister, Dr Hamza Rafeeq, said he was baffled by the advisory and Government could not prevent persons in urgent need of tissue transplants from seeking life-saving treatment abroad. Rafeeq said to adopt such a position, Government must provide a local alternative through publication of the tissue transplant legislation’s regulations. Rahael told Newsday that  those regulations will be published “before the end of this month.” He said the Ministry has also established a committee to guide the creation of a suitable bank for storing organs that will be used for local tissue transplants.

Rahael stressed that notwithstanding Government’s efforts in these areas, citizens must learn the importance of protecting themselves from illnesses such as hypertension and diabetes — which lead to organ failure if not kept in check from the onset. Rahael said the Ministry will soon be launching a major public education programme on primary and preventative health care and many drugs for treating illnesses like hypertension are available free of charge through Government’s Chronic Disease Assistance Programme. The Minister also spoke about tenders being issued for the establishment of two modern dialysis centres, one in Port-of-Spain and the other in San Fernando.