03/06/2026
𝐄𝐔 𝐆𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐰𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐮𝐲𝐚𝐧𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐬 𝐄𝐔-𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐒𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐎𝐫𝐠𝐚𝐧 𝐃𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐲𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐦
The Government of Guyana, through the Ministry of Health - Guyana yesterday officially launched the project "Building a Sustainable Organ Donation and Transplantation Program in Guyana", a 31-month initiative funded by the European Union under the Guyana HealthNext: Training, Research and Development programme, coordinated by Expertise France.
The kick-off event, hosted at the Ministry of Health in Georgetown, brought together national health authorities, clinical specialists, and international partners to mark the formal start of implementation and chart a shared strategic course for the coming years.
The project is led by the Donation and Transplantation Institute (DTI Foundation) in close partnership with the Guyana Human Organ and Tissue Transplant Agency (HOATTA) and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation. It is designed to address the growing burden of chronic kidney disease and end-stage renal disease in Guyana, conditions that currently leave many patients dependent on dialysis with limited access to transplantation.
Over the course of the programme, activities will focus on establishing a fully operational national HLA laboratory, strengthening nephrology and transplant referral pathways, building institutional capacity for deceased organ donation, and supporting the development of a national governance framework aligned with international standards.
"This project represents a transformative opportunity for Guyana's health system," said Dr. Chloë Ballesté, Project Director at DTI.
‘’The initiative of the Ministry of Health will improve the lives of Guyanese and beyond in the Caribbean region; partnering with a world transplant leader as DTI represents a unique opportunity to merge Guyanese and EU global priorities” said Mr. Nadal, First Counsellor and Head of cooperation of the European Union Delegation to Guyana.
The initiative also positions Guyana as a potential regional reference model for organ donation and transplantation in the Caribbean, with planned coordination activities involving PAHO Caribbean, CARICOM: Caribbean Community, and neighbouring countries.
The programme will run through October 2028.