
HCM City (VNS/VNA) - Child patients will be given priority inkidney transplants when there is a brain-dead or non-heart-beating donor undera new agreement on organ transplantation between three major hospitals in HCMCity.
Cho Ray Hospital, Thong Nhat Hospital and the Paediatrics Hospital No 2 onOctober 16 signed a two-year agreement to share organs donated by brain-deadand non-heart-beating people for transplants on child patients at PaediatricsHospital No 2.
The agreement would help the allocation of donated organs to candidates on thewaiting list in the most equitable manner and develop an organ transplantsystem at city hospitals, Nguyen Truong Son, Director of Cho Ray Hospital,said.
Cho Ray performs dozens of organ transplants using organs from living donorsand brain-dead and non-heart-beating people every year, he said.
Trinh Huu Tung, Director of the Paediatrics Hospital No 2, said his hospitalhas done only 16 kidney transplants and 12 liver transplants in the past 14years.
“It is too small, given the great demand for organ transplants in childpatients in the south.”
He attributed this to the severe shortage of organ donations.
Most organ donations are by relatives of patients, he explained.
He hoped the co-operation would help more child patients get organs fortransplant.
Tran Dong A, a consultant at the Paediatrics Hospital No 2’s organ transplantunit, said the law prohibits the use of organs from brain-dead people below 18years of age, resulting in limited organ donation.
Trinh Hong Son, Director of the National Coordination Centre for OrganTransplantation, said the co-operation would help increase access to donatedorgans by people in need of life-saving transplants.
There are 18 units for coordinating human organ transplants in the country andthe number is expected to increase in future, he added.-VNS/VNA