In 2024 existed The 4th consecutive year with a growth footprintin the context of the national effort to develop transplants, and a year where the case of Greece was discussed in the international fora of transplants as an example of successful strategy development.

The year ended with 111 deceased compact organs donors to give life to 236 fellow humans, and if we add all 125 generous living kidney donors (123) and liver (2), the benefited patients reach 361.

The above is emphasized by the President of the Hellenic Transplant Organization (EOM), Professor George Papatheodoridison the occasion of the publication of the data of our country’s annual transplant activity.

The foundation stone of the life supply chain are the Intensive Care Units (ICU) of our country, with the donation of 2024 the ICU of the PNA “Atticus” Hospitals, GNTH “Sotiria”, Pagn Heraklion, GNA “Evangelismos”, GNA “GNA”. It is noteworthy that the majority of proposals to the relatives of the candidate donors come from the doctors or transplant coordinators themselves, while ‘Denial of relatives’ has fallen to 26%, percentage comparable to other European countries.

“This alone proves that citizens consent to organ donation, as long as they are properly informed, while” refusal of relatives “is not a major cause of our country’s donation,” the EOM president said.

In addition, the institution of the “Local Transplantation Coordinator” (TSM) in the large hospitals in our country proves to be effectively operating and an important associate of the ICU, as 60 of the 111 donors came from the hospitals of the first 7 TSMs, which were hired by the Foundation. In October 2024, the 7 ts were made 20, that is, almost those needed to cover the country’s largest hospitals, with the support of the Ministry of Health and the Recovery Cash Program. “It goes without saying that the growth and maintenance of satisfactory donation marks is as unnecessary to be linked to this institution, which is also an EOM’s main objective of its timely activity in hospitals,” Papatheodoridis notes.

He emphasizes that “the increase in instrument and organ transplants does not allow us to rest, as it reasonably attracts more patients to the National Register of Candidates and requires further effort by the Greek Transplantation Organization and especially transplants. We have to continue and intensify our efforts by remaining committed to our goal in order to approach the European average, utilizing instruments of at least 200 donors a year.

Increasing transplants also creates the obligation to focus even more on their quality. It is particularly pleasing that a small population country like Greece, with smaller, in other countries, experience and transplant activity, has achieved excellent results in heart and lung transplants, which exceed several international survival indicators, while maintaining a very good level of survival. The success of all transplants is inextricably linked to the means and resources provided by our health system to transplants and is therefore a consistent and timeless priority of the EOM to highlight the needs of all units and support them by the Ministry of Health. “

“Behind the increase in organ donation and transplants there is a multi -faceted set of people, with their donors and their great families, as well as actors and many health professionals, with the role of each of them being critical for denaturing the donation of the donor.”

“Likewise, human lives are behind the numbers. Lives of “lost” who won their hysteria and lives gained because of the greatness of human existence that goes beyond pain to give life.

We continue intensively with consistency, cooperation, transparency and vision, in one of the most demanding, complex and critical fields of our health system, ”concludes the EOM president.