Dr. Nottage told The Bahama Journal that while the government is open to scientific research it is concerned whether the research is ethical.
“I don’t personally know if there is anything unethical about stem cell research, but our ability to monitor it, is what’s important,” Dr. Nottage said.
“If there are proposals made we would have to study it and see the extent to which we could monitor it ourselves or bring in the services for monitoring and make a decision on a case by case basis,” he said.
Dr. Glen Beneby, medical advisor with the Public Hospitals Authority, said although he wasn’t qualified to state the government’s position on stem cell research, he felt the government would proceed cautiously in this regard.
Many experts believe that stem cell research, which has been a controversial topic globally, offers great promise.
The ethics debate has continued for years because stem cell research and treatments involve scientists taking stem cells from aborted fetuses or “test tube” babies and growing them in a laboratory to be later injected into patients suffering from a variety of diseases.
The cells are grown and genetically engineered to create human tissue like heart or brain tissue that can be used to replace damaged cells.
Dr. Beneby said despite the benefits of stem cell research, the government will do what is in the best interest of the general public.
“We would not support any facility here in the Bahamas, which we feel we are not comfortable with, and which is not in the best interest of the Bahamian public,” Dr. Beneby said.
Two years ago, The Bahama Journal discovered that a local centre in Grand Bahama, Immuno-Augmentative Therapy (IAT), was providing stem cell treatments using cells drawn from the umbilical cords of mothers at the Rand Memorial Hospital.
Following this disclosure, the then Minister of Health Dr. Marcus Bethel issued an order suspending stem cell treatments and research at the Centre.
Dr. Bethel said the Ministry of Health needed to review treatments at the Centre because those treatments were “somewhat alien” and the theory behind them was questionable.
The minister had launched a probe to uncover the practices and procedures being used at the facility, but that was never made public.
Dr. John Clement, the Centre’s medical director, had revealed to the Journal that licensed scientists were growing stem cells at the facility for use in the treatments and had administered stem cell treatments to at least four American children.
Dr. Bethel said at the time that the discovery of stem cell work being carried out in the Bahamas pointed to a need for legislation to govern such research in the Bahamas.
“Insofar as the Bahamas is concerned, clearly this incident along with our global commitments act as a stimulus for us to bring about a consideration of legislation governing the whole process of research, and stem cell research in particular,” he said.
However, when asked about such legislation, Dr. Nottage referred the question to Dr. Beneby, who said while stem cell research is improving globally, the Bahamas is not prepared for major strides in this area.
Dr. Beneby said the Bahamas along with other countries are attempting to improve and strengthen their ethics committees and are developing policies and regulations for ethical practice that will be standardized in keeping with global standards.
Dr. Beneby said although there is a longstanding ethics committee involved with the AIDS programme at the Public Hospitals Authority, an ethics committee has not been placed in the Ministry that would regulate and interface with all other research committees.
“We need to strengthen persons who are trained and familiar with standards in ethics, and that is what we’re doing at the moment in the country, training,” he said.
Daphne McIntosh, The Bahama Journal
