Grenadian doctor first recipient of transplant surgery in Guyana
By Tangerine Clarke
Dr. Germaine Bristol, a Grenadian
doctor, who was diagnosed
with kidney disease while attending
medical school in the United
Kingdom in 2012, will become
the first recipient of a kidney
transplant being performed in
Guyana.
The doctor whose son, Gerron
Bristol, will be the donor of a
kidney, told News Room Guyana
that she was overwhelmed with
pride, love, and appreciation for
what he was doing for her. She
added, that this was a gift she
never expected to receive.
“To be here with my only son
getting ready for this surgery, is
overwhelming,” she repeated.
Bristol who received treatment
in England and has been
on dialysis for the past nine years
without any hope in sight, said
Grenada was not equipped with
specialty doctors. The medical
professional was fortunate
to be selected for the surgery
after Dr. Kishore Persaud, a Guyanese,
traveled to that country
on a medical outreach program
recently.
Fortunately for her, after
receiving an examination, she
qualified for the treatment, and
was quickly approved by Dr. Persaud
Caribbean L 42 ife, JUNE 18-24, 2021
to travel to the republic to
have the procedure done.
Bristol explained that presently,
her country has no transplant
services. “At present, we
only have one privately owned
Hemodialysis Unit, but we are
in the process of opening a new
Dialysis Unit at the General Hospital.”
“By the time I get back home,
Screen grab of the doctors who will perform the fi rst kidney transplant surgery at the
Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation in Guyana. News Room Guyana
that should be up and running,
but we have no transplant
services available,” Dr. Bristol
explained.
Dr. Persaud, who is the lead
surgeon on the medical team,
is confident that Bristol will lead
a normal life after receiving the
kidney from her 19-year old son.
He called the surgery a huge
milestone for Guyana, a thirdworld
developing country, offering
top medical care like this, to
a citizen of a first world country.
Former Minister of Health,
Dr. Leslie Ramsammy took to
social media to express his pride
in the work being done by the
department.
“For the first time, a patient
from a CARICOM country will be
a recipient of a kidney in Guyana.
We have come a long way. This
was unthinkable when I became
minister.
“People said impossible. We
successfully did. It is great to see
the Caribbean recognizing our
progress as a country.
“Congratulations Dr. Kishore
and team,” Ramsammy wrote in
his Facebook post.
Another transplant operation
will be performed on June 20,
according to News Room Guyana.
Screen grab of Gerron Bristol
and his mother, Dr. Germaine
Bristol as she gets
ready to be Guyana’s fi rst
kidney transplant patient at
the Georgetown Public Hospital
Corporation. News Room
Guyana
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