Mastering complex techniques
The Central Lung Hospital has organized a special meeting themed “Revived Lungs,” featuring three lung transplant recipients who are now living healthily. These patients were once near death. Without lung transplants, their life would have numbered just a few months. They were fortunate to have received the invaluable gift of life through new lungs. Now they can live and work just like anyone else. These three cases represent the highest success rate among the twelve lung transplant procedures performed in Vietnam, an outcome comparable to major lung transplant centers globally.
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Doctors at the Viet Duc (Vietnam-Germany) Friendship Hospital perform an organ transplant. |
In Vietnam, thousands of patients have successfully undergone organ transplants, saved by the generosity and compassion of remarkable individuals. Organ transplantation is one of the most significant achievements in world medicine since the 20th century. Although Vietnam lagged 50 years behind the world and approximately 20 years behind neighboring nations, the country takes pride in the fact that organ transplantation capabilities are now on par with many nations. Not only has Vietnam mastered the most crucial and commonly performed transplant techniques such as kidney, heart, liver, pancreas, lung, and corneal transplants, but the post-transplant survival rates are also higher than in several developed countries. The cost of organ transplantation in Vietnam is significantly lower than in other countries, approximately one-eighth of the cost in Thailand and one-twenty-fourth of that in the United States. This factor has attracted many foreign patients to Vietnam seeking a chance of survival.
The year of 2024 marked a significant leap forward in Vietnam’s organ transplantation field, highlighted by the first simultaneous heart-liver transplant in Vietnam and the first trachea transplant from a brain-dead donor - a highly complex technique in organ transplantation. These figures are not only the pride of Vietnam’s transplant sector but also exemplify the compassion and solidarity of the community in donating tissues and organs to save lives. Additionally, the number of people registering to donate organs after death has tripled compared to previous years. This helps to meet the increasing demand for organ transplants while the rate of organ donors remains relatively low compared to actual needs.
According to data from the National Coordinating Center for Human Organ Transplantation, after more than 30 years of operation, beginning with the first kidney transplant in June 1992, Vietnam had performed a total of 9,516 organ transplants by the end of 2024, involving 27 hospitals and centers. In the last three years, Vietnam has successfully completed about 1,000 organ transplants annually, the highest rate in Southeast Asia. The success of these transplant procedures clearly illustrates the tremendous advancements in qualifications, technical expertise, and experience within the Vietnam’s healthcare sector in the field of organ transplantation. Not only has the central-level hospitals well performed this technique, but many local hospitals have also mastered the skills and expertise required.
“Giving is living on”
Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, Chairwoman of the Vietnam Organ and Tissue Donation Advocacy Association and former Minister of Health, stated that organ transplantation represents the last chance for patients who have no other options for regaining their lives. Currently, many people in Vietnam and around the world are anxiously waiting hour by hour, day by day for organ transplants. In response to the Prime Minister’s call with the spirit of “Opening our hearts - Spreading love - Lighting up hope - Continuing to inspire - Sowing seeds of life” based on the belief that “Giving is living on,” dozens of local chapters of the association have been established in 2024. Both public and private healthcare institutions are actively participating in promoting organ donation from brain-dead individuals. Consequently, the number of people registering to donate their organs after death has significantly increased compared to previous years.
According to Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan, every act of donating organs tells a story of compassion. He shared the touching story of a family whose son tragically died in a traffic accident in early April 2024. Upon agreeing to donate their son’s organs, more than 100 medical professionals focused intensely on successfully retrieving, preserving, transporting, and transplanting organs into seven patients. Similarly, the family of nurse Le Thi Thuy Linh, who worked at the E Hospital and succumbed to a serious illness leading to brain death, graciously consented to donate tissues and organs, bringing renewed life to four other patients. “We deeply cherish and are grateful to the organ donors and their families, the “silent heroes” of life. They have created miracles, written fairy tales in everyday life, and brought hope and opportunities for many patients waiting day and night for transplants,” emphasized Deputy Minister Thuan.
The journey of building a plentiful organ donation source requires a coordinated effort from the government, the healthcare sector, and the community. Only when societal awareness is raised, and cultural and psychological barriers are removed can Vietnam fully harness its potential and provide life-saving opportunities for thousands of patients. According to Chairwoman Tien, they have established a strong connection among hospitals in the processes of organ donation and transplantation. This demonstrates their willingness to innovate and act despite existing challenges. The healthcare sector has achieved remarkable progress at a rapid pace. Never has Vietnam maintained such continuous achievements. She underlined that in the future, Vietnam would catch up with countries in the region and the world in terms of transplantation techniques and organ donation rates from brain-dead donors.
Translated by Minh Anh