Turkey ranks in ‘top 3’ in organ transplants from live donors

MADRID

Turkey is among top three countries of the world in kidney and liver transplants from live donors, Turkish Transplant Coordinators Association head Yavuz Selim Çınar said on July 4.

Speaking to state-run Anadolu Agency at the International Transplant Congress in Spanish capital Madrid, Çınar said Turkey trained some 3,000 people from 76 countries in three years in organ transplant procedures as part of an International Transplant Network (ITN) project.

Çınar said around 2 million people in the world, including over 25,000 people in Turkey, are on the waiting lists for organ transplants.

Unfortunately, around 10 percent of these patients pass away each year before getting access to an appropriate organ. Surely, the most important factor limiting organ transplants in Turkey - as it is in the world - is supply of organs, a major problem,” he added.

Çınar said Turkey ranks among the top three countries in live transplants because it is a technologically advanced country compared to many countries in terms of field experience.

He also said they are working to advance at similar levels in transplants from cadavers, while they are focusing on health workers’ training, strengthening technical infrastructure and conducting awareness activities to boost organ donations in society.

According to the Health Ministry, the number of liver transplants in Turkey so far are 1,087 from live donors, 359 from cadavers. The number of kidney transplants from live donors stands at 2,647 and at 693 from cadavers, Çınar said.