- From January to the end of May, 890 organs were transplanted in Poland. If this trend is maintained, we should exceed 2,100 transplants in 2024, Deputy Health Minister Marek Kos said at Wednesday's meeting of the Parliamentary Health Committee. This would mean a 16 percent year-on-year increase. The transplant community does not want to move away from presumptive consent to organ harvesting.
Polish transplant medicine begins to recover
Published June 13, 2024 08:51
- We are seeing a strong upward trend. In 2022, 1404 organs taken from deceased donors were transplanted in Poland. This is more than 120 more than the year before. In 2023, there was a jump in the number of procedures performed. 1805 single organs were transplanted, and numerous multi-organ transplants were performed. From January to the end of May this year, 890 organs have already been transplanted. If this trend is maintained, we should exceed 2,100 transplants in 2024," said Marek Kos, and assessed that Polish transplantation medicine is beginning to recover.
In 2023, there was a 20 percent increase in the number of potential donors. The number of actual donors increased by 30 percent.
- These results are mainly influenced by hospitals with donation potential that report donors. In 2022, the number of hospitals active in donation was 142, and in 2023 there were 152. Thanks to this activity, it was possible to donate 2021 organs, while the previous year the number was 1627. We also transplanted organs from abroad," added Marek Kos.
According to the Health Ministry, one of the factors contributing to an increase in the number of donations and transplants is the development of a network of transplant coordinators. Their tasks include donor identification, diagnosis and recognition of death, donor qualification and authorization of donation. Financial support for hospitals is also not insignificant.
- We covered anesthesiology and intensive care units with the highest donation activity. In 2021, 21 entities received 17 million. In 2022, 17 entities received 15 million. In 2023, a total of PLN 25 million went to 50 hospitals. This year, PLN 20 million will be transferred to 41 entities, the deputy health minister mentioned.
The discussion at the meeting of the Parliamentary Health Committee also touched on the issue of consents for organ donation. The current state of the law allows the donation to be carried out if the deceased did not object to it during their lifetime, registering such a will in the Central Register of Objections. MP Czeslaw Hoc of Law and Justice noted that this often raises objections. National consultant for clinical transplantation, Professor Michal Grąt, said that abandoning presumed consent would mean harm to patients.
- This would result in the collapse of Polish transplantology and hundreds of deaths. We would not have organs from people who did not register an objection," the consultant said.
