The Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) is the leading health institution in the country that registers the largest number of organ and tissue donations and transplants. To do this, it has a hospital donation network made up of 72 medical units licensed to perform extraction surgeries, as well as health professionals specialized in these procedures.
An altruistic practice that saves lives
Within the framework of World Organ and Tissue Transplantation Day, which is today February 27, Dr. Célida Duque Molina, Director of Medical Benefits, stressed the need to promote the altruistic culture of donation that allows people with terminal illnesses such as Chronic kidney, lung, cardiovascular, liver and corneal diseases have life chances.
During the First Institutional Meeting on Kidney Transplantation and Donation Intervention, in which the Director of the National Transplant Registry of the National Transplant Center (Cenatra), Dr. Josefina Romero Méndez, Duque Molina expressed the importance of addressing the behavior of chronic-degenerative diseases, such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes and hypertension, mainly in the population under 18 years of age.
He referred that in states of the country, such as Aguascalientes, there are areas of opportunity in the Social Security medical units to sensitize the population about the importance and impact of the altruistic donation of organs and tissues for the benefit of people who require a transplant. .
For example, he stated that more than 70,000 people with chronic kidney disease require a transplant to improve or save their lives. Hence the importance of the culture of altruistic organ donation.
The director of Medical Benefits of the IMSS, said that the more people voluntarily join the donation of organs and tissues, they will contribute to saving or improving the lives of those who depend on a donation. Several cases could be resolved with potential donors from the High Specialty Medical Units (UMAE) of Social Security.
He stressed that it is essential to improve productivity in organ transplantation and the Institute directs efforts in this direction in its Second and Third Level hospitals.
world day of #OrganandTissue Transplantation | If you decide to be a donor, let your family and loved ones know.
Download your donor card at: https://t.co/43MlyoSwcx #DonateSaveLives pic.twitter.com/3Nt27Ib0DD
— IMSS (@Your_IMSS) February 27, 2022
On the other hand, the Director of the National Transplant Registry of Cenatra, Dr. Josefina Romero Méndez, highlighted the coordination and joint work with Social Security 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to carry out organ and tissue donations.
He affirmed that work must continue in coordination in a model of comprehensive care with quality and safety for patients and health personnel.
Romero Méndez stressed that Social Security is the institution that records the highest number of donations and transplants year after year.
The director of Cenatra added that chronic-degenerative diseases represent a great challenge for the country in terms of mortality, morbidity and costs for health systems.
In Social Security, the donation and transplant process is in charge of hospital coordinatorssupported by medical, nursing, social work and stretcher staff.
Most of the patients who require a donation are those who generated organic failure by accident or who suffered damage to some tissue, due to infection, tumors, cirrhosis, liver dysfunction or cardiac pathologies irreversible to treatment.
The organs that can be donated are heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, pancreas and intestine; while the tissues that can be donated are corneas, skin, tendons, cartilage, blood vessels, heart valves, and musculoskeletal tissue.
By promoting the altruistic donation of organs and tissues, it is possible to benefit at least 50 patients who require cornea, skin, bone and bone marrow, and eight or more who need an organ such as the heart, kidneys, liver, pancreas , intestines and lungs.
Waiting list and figures from recent years
According to recent figures, there are 22 thousand 914 people in waiting to receive a transplant. Of these, 17 thousand 320 are kidney, 5 thousand 289 cornea, 239 a liver and 50 a heart, according to the National Registry of Transplants.
In 2020, Social Security performed 850 transplants: 377 kidneys, 363 cornea, 89 hematopoietic stem cell (bone marrow), 18 liver and three heart. And in 2021, with the implementation of the work for the recovery of medical services designed by the Directorate of Medical Benefits, 1,793 transplants were carried out: 815 kidney, 676 cornea, 234 bone marrow, 49 liver and 19 heart.
If a person decides to be an altruistic donor, they must notify their family so that at the time of death they authorize the donation in the midst of a very difficult time.