Vietnam's organ transplants are approaching the world, but are still "held back"

On November 1, in Hanoi, Viet Duc Hospital organized the 2025 international scientific conference with the theme "The role of surgery and organ transplantation in the era of global integration".

The workshop was attended by more than 500 delegates, including leading experts, doctors, and researchers from both within and outside the country. Dr. Duong Duc Hung, Director of Viet Duc Hospital, said that organ transplantation is the most complex medical technique, requiring the seamless coordination of many specialties at a very high level, from resuscitation, anesthesia, surgery, to pharmacology and post-transplant care.

Previously, organ transplantation in Vietnam was only at the level of developing countries, but now many transplantation techniques have approached the level of developed countries. In particular, improvements in procedures and techniques at Viet Duc Hospital have shortened liver transplantation time from 12-14 hours to just 6-7 hours.

Organ transplantation in Vietnam has made remarkable progress, reaching world-class standards.

According to the Ministry of Health , to date, the field of organ transplantation in Vietnam has performed transplants of 6 human body parts, with more than 9,800 cases, mainly kidney transplants with 8,904 cases, liver transplants with 754 cases, heart transplants with 126 cases, lung transplants with 13 cases… and hundreds of tissue transplants (cornea, skin, stem cells...).

Currently, not only large hospitals such as Viet Duc, 108, 103, Cho Ray, and Hue Central Hospital perform organ transplants, but many provincial hospitals, even those in remote areas, are also able to perform organ transplants.

Dr. Duong Duc Hung delivered a speech at the conference.

However, organ donation and transplantation in our country is facing a major institutional barrier. The Law on Donation, Procurement, and Transplantation of Human Tissues, Organs, and Bodies, enacted in 2007, is outdated compared to current practices, and many provisions have become obstacles to development.

"The current law stipulates that children are not allowed to donate organs, even in special medical cases where parents agree to donate to save others," Dr. Duong Duc Hung cited, arguing that it is time to amend the law to align with medical realities and social ethics, creating a more comprehensive and flexible legal framework for organ transplantation.

Furthermore, the current regulations still require family consent, even if the deceased registered to donate organs while alive. This is the biggest obstacle, causing many valuable organs to be buried instead of saving lives. Therefore, Dr. Duong Duc Hung suggests that Vietnam should learn from the model of advanced countries, where organ donation registration should be fully recognized without the need for family consent.

KHANH NGUYEN

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/ghep-tang-viet-nam-tiem-can-the-gioi-nhung-van-bi-niu-chan-post821238.html