Vietnam’s Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan has proposed five key measures to enhance organ donation and transplantation in the country, local media reported.
The first suggestion is to establish May 20 as National Organ Donation Day annually.
The second suggestion calls for increased collaboration between government bodies, the Vietnam Red Cross, and other organizations to raise awareness and encourage people to register for organ donation.
The third suggestion emphasizes the need for policy development to support communication, consultation, awareness campaigns, and the coordination, transportation, and transplantation of organs, ensuring sufficient resources for effective implementation.
Additionally, Minister Lan urged the National Organ Transplantation Coordination Center to improve its management and transparency in organ donation processes. Hospitals should also intensify their efforts to register donors and identify potential brain-dead patients for donation.
Lastly, the health ministry plans to propose legal amendments in 2025 to better align organ donation and usage laws with current practical needs, she said.
Since Vietnam’s first organ transplant in 1992, nearly 9,300 organ transplants have been performed. The number of brain-dead patients has increased sixfold in 2024 compared to 2023, with a record 39 brain-dead organ donors in the past year. From the initial four hospitals licensed for organ transplants, the number has now expanded to 28. (Dan Tri)