New study maps overhaul of organ transplant system
A new blueprint for improving Greece’s anemic organ transplant system foresees an independent regulatory authority with more branches nationwide, the appointment of specialized coordinators at hospitals, investments in equipment and bonuses for transplant workers.
“The aim is to give doctors and nurses the tools and supplies needed to save as many patients as possible,” Antonis Papadimitriou, the president of the Onassis Foundation, which funded the study and will be creating a transplant center it hopes to deliver to the Greek state by 2024, said during its presentation to Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis on Tuesday.
According to the study, there are more than 1,300 patients waiting for an organ in Greece right now. There are also some 11,500 kidney patients on dialysis, of whom 25% are not expected to survive the first year of treatment, while the average waiting time for a new kidney is 8.8 years.
