Press releases

MINSK, 5 November (BelTA) – Over 300 surgeries to transplant kidneys are performed in Belarus every year, BelTA learned from Professor Oleg Rummo, Doctor of Medicine, Head of the Belarusian National Research and Practice Center for Organ and Tissue Transplantation, during the first international Minsk medical forum on 5 November.

According to the source, the kidney transplantation program has been quite successful in Belarus. Nearly 2,500 kidney transplantations have been performed since 1970. The number has been rising since 2009 and has exceeded 300 surgeries per annum. As many as 285 kidneys have been transplanted this year already, said Oleg Rummo. Belarus is a European leader in the total number of kidney transplantations per 1 million capita. Thanks to the practice the waiting list for kidney transplants has been stabilized in the last three years.

A lot of work has been done in the last few years to introduce modern transplantation technologies for kidney transplants from live relative donors. Since 2010 no kidneys have been taken from donors in Belarus without minimal-invasion technologies. Such technologies produce good cosmetic effects and encourage fast rehabilitation, noted the Head of the Belarusian National Research and Practice Center for Organ and Tissue Transplantation.

As far as heart transplantation is concerned, 190 surgeries have been performed so far. Most of them have been performed at premises of the National Research and Practice Center for Cardiology. Belarus now occupies the world’s ninth position by the number of heart transplantations per 1 million capita.

The doctor noted that the success of these complicated surgeries depends on extremely high qualifications of the medical personnel. Specialized medical service standards in a country are often used to evaluate whether the transplantation of a certain organ is possible in that country.