(Health): Ministerial decision to establish two units for pediatric stem cell transplantation, gene and cell therapy, and advanced treatments

Kuwait City, 13 Aug (KUNA) -- Health Minister Dr. Ahmed Al-Awadi issued a ministerial decision today, Thursday, establishing two units for stem cell transplantation, gene therapy, cell therapy, and advanced therapies within the Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation Department at the Kuwait National Hospital for Children.

In a press release, the Ministry of Health stated that the decision provides for the two units to be managed with organizational and medical autonomy, ensuring equal regulatory standing and fair sharing of human, technical, and administrative resources. This arrangement aims to guarantee equal opportunities for service delivery and to prioritize patient welfare, while the units remain under the umbrella of the Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation Department and the hospital’s administration, in accordance with the approved organizational structure.

The ministry clarified that each unit’s scope of work includes providing all therapeutic services in accordance with the qualifications and professional credentials of the medical staff. These services encompass hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, gene therapy, cell therapy, and advanced therapies, as well as the management of pediatric hematological diseases, blood cancers, and tumors, within the framework of approved specialties and professional qualifications.

The decision further emphasizes that no type of treatment or case will be restricted or monopolized by one unit to the exclusion of the other. This approach enhances service equity and optimizes the use of available expertise and competencies. It also regulates the distribution of new cases, workload, staff, and families to ensure balance between the two units and the continuity of service provision.

The decision establishes a clear framework for continuity of care and medical responsibility, ensuring that patients are followed up with the unit that initiated their treatment. Each unit will have its own outpatient clinics, while the unit on call will be responsible for receiving, evaluating, and following up on new cases during its call period, in accordance with the approved mechanism.

Additionally, the decision organizes the utilization of resources and medical staff between the two units. Each unit will have two consultants as permanent members, while first-year residents and other residents will be rotated monthly according to operational needs. Shared utilization of expertise will be made available when required for clinical or operational reasons, ensuring service continuity and patient welfare.

The decision also stipulates the equal allocation of beds in the stem cell transplantation, gene therapy, cell therapy, and advanced therapies ward between the two units, with flexibility in their use when clinically or operationally necessary, under clear controls that ensure service continuity and rebalance bed and case distribution.

The ministry noted that the decision reflects the Ministry of Health’s direction toward building a more integrated and sustainable system for advanced therapies for children, enhancing the ability to leverage national expertise and modern therapeutic technologies within a regulatory framework that prioritizes patient safety, care quality, and continuity. (End) M.N.M./A.M.H.