Speaking at the event, Prof., Dr. Trinh Hong Son, Director of the Vietnam National Coordinating Centre for Human Organ Transplantation (under the Ministry of Health), said that there are 19 organ transplant centres nationwide, which have carried out nearly 3,700 organ transplants so far. Each year, the Vietnamese organ transplant industry establishes new achievements, affirming a remarkable step in world-class technical expertise.
However, the biggest difficulty is the shortage of organs for transplantation, while the connection between transplant centres has not met the requirements.
Deputy Minister of Health Nguyen Viet Tien said that, at present, information connection among the 19 domestic transplant centres is still limited, noting that Vietnam should learn from experience in developed countries in order to optimise software for looking up information and improve connections.
“Vietnam needs to move towards modernity so that we can coordinate organ transplants faster and more effectively by connecting with major foreign organ transplant centres,” Tien stressed.
Sharing the US experience in organ transplant coordination, Doctor David Klassen, Chief Medical Officer of the United Network for Organ Sharing, said that, like many other countries in the world, the US is also facing a lack of transplant resources. However, it is one of the fastest growing countries in the world in organ donation and transplantation, thanks to the completion of the respective legal framework.
Other organ coordination centres in Japan and France are also praised for their efficient operation for others to follow.
In Vietnam, according to Deputy Director of the Vietnam National Coordinating Centre for Human Organ Transplantation, the Law on Human Tissue and Organ Donation and Transplantation was issued in 2006, and, although a bit late compared to other developed countries, has helped facilitate the medical sector to catch up with the world level on organ transplantations, such as kidney, liver and heart transplants.
Currently, there are nearly 20,000 Vietnamese people registered to donate organs after brain death, up hundreds of times compared to five years ago.
According to statistics, Vietnam has successfully carried out nearly 3,700 organ transplants, including over 3,500 kidney, 150 liver and 28 heart transplants.
