The need for organ transplants in the world and in Vietnam is huge and increasing.

The need for organ transplants in the world and in Vietnam is huge and increasing.

According to the Ministry of Health, the demand for organ transplants in the world and in Vietnam is very large and increasing.

On June 25, at Quan Su Pagoda (Hanoi), the Vietnam Organ and Tissue Donation Association and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha signed a cooperation agreement to promote the registration of organ and tissue donation “Giving is forever” and to launch the registration of organ and tissue donation at religious establishments nationwide. This is an activity in response to the call for organ and tissue donation registration by the Government of Pham Minh Chinh.

Signing of cooperation agreement to promote and mobilize registration for organ and tissue donation "Giving is forever".

At the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Health Tran Van Thuan highly appreciated the spirit of the Vietnam Organ and Tissue Donation Association and the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha in organizing this event and emphasized that the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha will be a bridge of love to spread the message of humanity, encouraging Buddhists and people to participate in organ and tissue donation.

The Ministry of Health's leaders affirmed that this is a humane combination of the cultural traditions, ethics and compassionate spirit of Buddhism with modern medical science, bringing practical benefits to the community.

From the perspective of cause and effect, every good deed brings good results. Donating organs and tissues is sowing the seeds of compassion and love, and we are sure to reap the sweet fruits in the future.

The Deputy Minister of Health calls on all of us to open our hearts to organ and tissue donation. Think of the patients who are waiting in despair every minute, every hour, and think of the families who are hoping for a miracle.

We can be the ones who bring that miracle, we can be the ones who save lives. Each of us should be an ambassador, a person who spreads the message “Giving is forever” to everyone around us.

"The Ministry of Health is committed to continuing to support and create the most favorable conditions for the work of mobilizing tissue and organ donation," Deputy Minister Thuan affirmed.

At the event, Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, President of the Vietnam Association for Organ and Tissue Donation, gave a touching and sincere speech about the act of organ donation to save lives.

She said that organ transplants are the last resort to save the lives of patients who have no other options, and in reality in Vietnam and around the world, there are many people who are anxiously living hour by hour, day by day waiting for organ transplants to save their lives.

The need for organ transplants in the world and in Vietnam is huge and increasing. The world has a population of about 7.6 billion people, 59 million people die every year from all causes, the need for at least 1 million organ donors/year, in 2023 there will be 39,357 organ donors (reaching 3.9%) and 164,840 patients will receive organ transplants.

In Vietnam, the number of people registering to donate organs and the number of people donating organs after death are among the lowest in the world, reaching (0.1 people/1 million people), while in Spain it is 50 people/1 million people.

In many countries, in Europe and America, the law stipulates that when citizens register for an ID card, they also register to donate organs, except for some special reasons, in which case there is a request not to register.

In addition to the regulation on organ donation after brain death, the law also stipulates organ donation after cardiac death and the age of organ donation in many countries is over 60 years old, there are many cases of organ donation over 80 years old (Vietnam law stipulates under 60 years old). Therefore, the number of people donating organs after brain death in European and American countries is very high.

Why should we register to donate organs with responsibility and above all compassion for the community? Because it is a waste that every day, we still bury in the ground or burn to ashes the precious source of organs.

When donating organs and tissues, the donor's family can still hear the loving heartbeat, spreading the compassionate energy of the deceased relative on the body and reviving life of the transplant recipient.

The organ donor has done the most useful thing after leaving this world, which is saving the lives of others. Surely they will be satisfied and will be reborn in a happier realm in the cycle of life and death as conceived by Buddhism.

Many of us sitting here registered to donate organs about 5-10 years ago. At that time, we could perceive the law of birth, aging, illness and death, the law of conservation of material energy: Energy is not naturally created, nor is it naturally lost, but only changes from one form to another.

One day we will leave this world, our body will turn to dust but our mental energy can feel happy because our departure can hopefully save many other lives and we smile to continue our journey to explore another world.

On the other hand, when more people donate organs after death, increasing the source of organs to save lives, it also contributes to limiting illegal organ trafficking, causing physical and mental suffering to unfortunate lives - having to sell their precious organs to make a living.

Regarding financial efficiency, according to the President of the Vietnam Association for Organ and Tissue Donation, in the case of a kidney transplant, the cost of a kidney transplant to prolong the patient's life with a better quality of life is only 1/4 of the cost of dialysis and treatment for the causes of kidney failure.

According to Ms. Nguyen Thi Kim Tien, to increase the source of organs from brain-dead donors, we have three synchronous solutions from the community, hospitals and institutions from the Government, ministries, departments and branches.

Firstly, for the community, it is necessary to promote extensive communication with inter-sectoral coordination of organizations of the Fatherland Front and agencies.

Organ and tissue donation is sowing the seeds of compassion and love, and we are sure to reap the sweet fruits in the future.

For the system of organ donation and transplant hospitals, it is necessary to establish branches to promote organ donation and units to consult on organ donation after brain death to obtain consent for organ donation from the patient's family.

Third, for the Government and the Ministry of Health, we hope that the Law on Donation, Collection, and Transplantation of Human Tissues and Organs and Corpse Donation will soon be amended to suit Vietnam's reality and international integration, especially with a financial mechanism to pay for consultation on donation, collection, transplantation, and coordination of organs from the health insurance fund and other legal financial sources to support many people to have the opportunity to be saved, especially those in difficult circumstances.

The government should also regulate the source of organs from donors as national assets as some countries have regulated. Organ donation and organ transplantation are civil rights, which need to be ensured to be fair, public and transparent.

Ms. Tien also suggested that the Ministry of Health develop and submit to the Government a project to "strengthen Vietnam's capacity for consulting and coordinating organ donation, retrieval and transplantation" to make breakthroughs and develop organ transplantation techniques.

At the same time as increasing the source of organ donations to develop advanced techniques in organ transplantation, the Government and the Ministry of Health have been reducing the need for organ transplantation through programs of universal health coverage, disease prevention and early detection in the community. Thus, we have both developed advanced techniques and promoted community health.

It is known that, immediately after the signing ceremony, the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha initiated the registration for organ and tissue donation directly and online at religious establishments nationwide. Just a few minutes later, at the ceremony, 365 Buddhists registered to donate organs and tissues.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/nhu-cau-ghep-tang-tren-the-gioi-va-cua-viet-nam-rat-lon-va-ngay-cang-tang-d218495.html