The data were released by Ukraine's Ministry of Health.
Currently, 32 medical centers in Ukraine perform organ transplantation. Last year, 275 Ukrainians received a new kidney, 74 received a liver, and 35 received a new heart. The Ministry of Health notes that the percentage of organ transplants from a deceased donor is gradually increasing in Ukraine. In 2021, the figure amounted to 53.7%, and in 2022 it reached 55%. The increase is due to the fact that more and more Ukrainians are realizing that their consent to give organs from a deceased relative can save someone's life.
Last year, Ukrainian transplantologists also performed 223 hematopoietic stem cell transplants: 192 to adult patients and 31 to children. These cells are unique as they can restore normal hematopoiesis in patients. When a person develops abnormal blood cells due to an illness or when normal cells are not formed at all, they need to be replaced with healthy cells. Therefore, the Ministry of Health urges Ukrainians to become stem cell donors. To do this, you need to register in the Ukrainian Registry of Potential Donors.
Any healthy person between the ages of 18 and 35 can become a donor. Those over 35 but under 45 can also leave their data, but they will have to pay EUR 35 euros (approximately UAH 1400) for registration. The registration of younger donors is funded by philanthropists. It is believed that the younger the donor, the better the patient's recovery. Everyone who is already in the registry can share their bone marrow until they turn 60.
The second lung transplant from a posthumous donor in the history of Ukraine was performed in Lviv. The donor organ was received by a single father whose lungs were damaged during the Chornobyl accident.