Health Ministry encourages organ donors after successful transplants

A total of 11 TT nationals have benefited from cadaveric transplantations for the year thus far, according to a release issued by the Ministry of Health yesterday as it seeks to encourage more people to register as organ donors.

The call for more donors comes after doctors of the National Organ Transplant Unit of the ministry did their 24th retrieval of organs from a deceased person. The organs, which included two kidneys and two corneas, were successfully removed and transplanted into living people, which the release said had improved their lives.

The operation, which is called a cadaveric organ retrieval, reported its first ever donor in Sangre Grande in April. A team of physicians at the San Fernando General Hospital made history by performing two cadaveric kidney implantations.

Of the 11 individuals who benefited, seven received kidneys and four received corneas.

Remarking on the success and importance of these operations, the ministry encouraged the public to register as donors by contacting the National Organ Transplant Unit at 663-1703/ 662-7556 or visiing the Services tab of the ministry’s website at www.health.gov.tt.