Only 22 organ donors among 11 mln Greeks?
Only two out of every million Greeks have declared themselves as prospective organ donors, according to doctors speaking at a ceremony yesterday in Thessaloniki to mark the 34th anniversary of the first kidney transplant there. This figure is the lowest in the European Union (Germany has 13 and Spain 33 for every million) and is largely due to a lack of information, mistrust of doctors and hospitals, as well as a fear of falling victim to the trade in organs. These factors are not restricted to Greece, according to Professor Menelaos Papadimitriou, one of three doctors who received an award for his work at yesterday’s ceremony at the White Tower Lions Club. In Greece this year there have been 85 kidney transplants from deceased donors, 15 liver transplants and seven heart transplants.
