“Health”: Establishment of two units for stem cell transplantation, gene and cellular therapy, and advanced treatments for children - Sarmad

(KUNA) – Minister of Health 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 statement, the Ministry of Health said the decision stipulates that the two units will operate with independent regulatory and medical management, with equal regulatory status and fair sharing of human, technical, and administrative resources, ensuring equal opportunities for service delivery and prioritizing patients’ interests, while remaining under the umbrella of the Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation Department and the hospital’s management, in accordance with the approved organizational structure.

It clarified that each unit’s scope of work includes providing all therapeutic services in accordance with the qualifications and professional accreditations of the medical staff, including hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, gene therapy, cell therapy, and advanced therapies, as well as managing pediatric blood diseases, blood cancers, and tumors within the approved specialties and professional qualifications.

The statement added that the decision emphasizes that no type of treatment or case will be restricted or monopolized by one unit to the exclusion of the other, thereby enhancing service equity and maximizing the use of available expertise and competencies. It also organizes the distribution of new cases, workload, staff, and families to achieve balance between the two units and ensure continuous service provision.

It noted that 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.

The ministry pointed out that the decision regulates the utilization of resources and medical staff between the two units. Each unit is allocated two consultants as permanent members, with first-year residents and registrars rotated monthly according to operational needs. Shared use of competencies is made available when required clinically or operationally, ensuring service continuity and patients’ best interests.

It further indicated that the decision stipulates 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 the distribution of beds and cases.

The statement concluded that the decision reflects the Ministry of Health’s direction toward building a more integrated and sustainable system in the field of 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.