With the largest chain of cross-transplants ever organized in Cyprus, the two years of operation of the Transplant Clinic of the Nicosia General Hospital were celebrated this year, as the Minister of Health, Michalis Damianos, said on Monday, welcoming a Press Conference on the realization of eight cross-transplants in Cyprus and Israel.
Mr. Damianos said that today the planned performance of eight cross kidney transplants began, three in Cyprus and five in Israel, through the Transnational Cooperation Memorandum of the two countries.
He explained that the "Cross Transplants" program enables incompatible donor and recipient pairs to exchange kidneys, ensuring compatibility, and pointed out that this method simultaneously increases the success rate of such operations.
The Minister noted that chronic kidney disease is projected to become the fifth leading cause of death by 2040 and added that more than 1000 patients in Cyprus are on dialysis, while approximately 20 kidney transplants were performed annually. He said, of course, that the number of transplants has skyrocketed in the last two years, reaching a total of 35 transplants per year.
Mr. Damianos emphasized the importance of organ donation, as well as the fact that kidney transplantation remains the best possible treatment for kidney patients, providing high success rates and improved quality of life for patients.
Within September, the conclusion of an agreement on cross-transplants between Cyprus and Greece
For a "defining day for transplants" and "for our country", the General Director of the Ministry of Health, Christina Giannaki, spoke in her own greeting, noting that the Ministry is coordinating a "big and complex operation".
Underlining the importance of agreements, such as the one with Israel whose implementation is progressing, Mrs. Giannaki mentioned that in September the Minister of Health will travel to Athens to sign the second agreement for cross-transplants, as well as an agreement with the Onassis Hospital for lung transplants.
At 12:20 p.m. the arrival of two transplants from Israel was scheduled to be transplanted to patients in Cyprus, as Ms. Giannaki said, while two kidneys will be sent from Cyprus to Israel.
"Through this cross-transplant program, living members of an incompatible donor and recipient, who were previously infeasible to transplant, exchange a kidney with each other for the purpose of achieving compatibility," said Ms. Giannaki.
The head of the transplant clinic, Dr. Andreas Soloukidis, noted that the process of nephrectomy from three donors in Cyprus started from 7:30 in the morning. He noted that this is a procedure that is being carried out for the first time on such a large scale in Cyprus, as three simultaneous surgeries are required, lasting at least 10 hours.
Dr. Soloukidis confirmed that patients who have been on the transplant waiting list for a long time, through this procedure have better hopes of finding a donor.
"Since we activated the memorandum with Israel last year, we have already transplanted - if all goes well - four of the eight patients already on the list," said Dr. Soloukidis, adding that "there are other couples who are in the process of joining and thus the importance of the upcoming agreement with Greece is highlighted".
Source: KYPE