Organ donation

Another organ donation took place at the Hospital in Chania, Crete. Relatives of a 45-year-old woman in an irreversible condition decided to give life.

Greece is celebrating a remarkable year for organ transplants. Within two days, the country achieved a record number of deceased organ donors, highlighting a positive trend in organ donation and transplantation over the past four years. Officials from the Hellenic Transplant Organization (EOM) stated, "The year isn't over yet." 

With a hundred organ donations performed already this year, Greece has broken its annual record of 98 of the life-saving operations.

On Wednesday, the organs of a 41-year-old deceased donor were transplanted to six recipients at the Korgialeneio-Benakeio hospital in Athens.

The 99th donation took place on Monday, when the organs from a 49-year-old man went to six recipients.

We have a tendency to dismiss a lot of our shortcomings as cultural traits that cannot really change. One of these is the low rate of organ donations. 

What we are seeing now, however, is that a plan and persistence can reverse such trends. 

Over the past three years, Greece has made significant strides in organ donation, with the number of donors more than doubling. 

According to the Onassis Foundation and the National Organ Transplant Organization, the donor rate increased from four to approximately 10 per million people.

Knowledge conquers fear, myths, and misinformation. Two prominent female scientists in the field of organ transplants, along with an international speaker with extensive experience as a curator at the Nobel Prize ceremonies, address crucial questions about organ donation, transplants, and the ethical dilemmas involved.

In an unbelievable incident, a 36-year-old man who had suffered cardiac arrest and was declared brain-dead by doctors suddenly woke up during surgery to remove his organs for donation.

Anthony Thomas “TJ” Hoover’s family told local media that his case raises serious questions about the organ donation process, describing the situation as a “living nightmare.”

The last three years have seen an increase in the number of transplants in Greece, with 2023 being the best year in the last 15 years in terms of organ supply.

According to National Transplantation Organization data, 87 deceased organ donors were registered last year (8.3 donors per million people), resulting in 204 solid organ transplants.

The organs of 17-year-old Melek Nur Özgener, who was shot in the head on New Year's Eve in Istanbul's Fatih district, have given life to six people in need of vital transplants.

The Health Ministry's draft legislation to modernize the law on organ donation and transplantation was put to public consultation on Wednesday without, however, including some provisions initially proposed by a special committee and approved in a recent cabinet meeting.