Vietnam ranks first in Southeast Asia in the number of organ transplants

Information was shared by Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, President of the Vietnamese Organ and Tissue Donation Advocacy Association, at the human rights conference. Golden week of organ donationDecember 23. The US is the world leader with more than 44,000 transplants a year. China is in second place with more than 19,600 cases.

According to Ms. Tien, the increase in the number of transplant cases proves that the level of science and technology has made great progress, mastering many difficult techniques and surpassing many countries in the region. Of more than 1,000 transplants each year, Vietnam performs about 100 liver transplants, 90 heart transplants, 13 lung transplants, two pancreas transplants and small intestine transplants. The number of hospitals licensed by the Ministry of Health to be eligible for organ transplants has gradually increased, to 28 facilities.

Vietnam has recorded 36 brain-dead people donating organs since the beginning of the year – a record in the history of organ donation, increasing the rate of transplants from this donor source to 12% instead of 6% as before. In the period 2010-2022, each year in our country there will be about 10 donation cases, and last year it increased to 14 cases. The number of brain-dead organ donors at hospitals has increased rapidly in recent times, especially since May, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh registered to donate tissues and organs after death or brain death and called on people to volunteer. Register and save lives.

However, the number of brain-dead people donating organs in Vietnam is still among the lowest in the world. Worldwide, the average rate of brain-dead donors accounts for about 60% of transplants. In some countries, this rate can be more than 90%. Globally, about 40,000 brain-dead donors were recorded last year.

Many European countries do not carry out organ donation registration procedures, but follow the deductive principle of course, meaning that after death, organs can be donated with the consent of the family. There are countries that do not require family consent, but instead apply a driver’s license with a “posthumous organ donation consent symbol”. The US allows death row inmates and prisoners to register for organ donation after death to increase the source of organs. Many places allow organ tissue transplantation from HIV-infected people to HIV-infected people.

“The cost of organ transplant is lower than medical treatment,” Ms. Tien said, adding that statistics show that insurance costs after kidney transplant are only half that of dialysis and peritoneal dialysis treatment, not to mention diseases. Patients have a quality life after transplantation. In many countries, health insurance fully covers organ transplants. In Vietnam, it is expected that health insurance will pay 100% for kidney transplant.

Dr. Nguyen Hoang Phuc, Deputy Director of the National Organ Transplant Coordination Center, said that lack of organ tissue sources easily leads to evils and negative buying and selling. Many cases related to buying, selling and donating have occurred, the leader of the ring is sometimes someone who sold organs.

“Vietnam has nearly 10,000 brain-dead people due to traffic accidents every year – something no one wants, but the number of organ donations is very small,” Mr. Phuc said, saying that “a huge waste of organ resources”.

On this occasion, the Southern Region Inter-Institutional Human Organ and Tissue Donation Campaign Branch was established, led by Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Hoang Bac, Director of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital as the branch president. Ms. Tien said that the association is expected to help the number of transplant donations increase rapidly in the coming time, contributing to reviving many people.