Greece recorded a 60% increase in organ donors in 2024, with transplants more than doubling, according to Health Minister Adonis Georgiadis.
Speaking this week at the “Together We Strengthen the Chain of Life” event at the Onasseio Cardiac Surgery Center, Georgiadis said early 2025 data suggests another record-breaking year ahead.
“We are headed for a new record,” he said, emphasizing the country’s ongoing progress in organ donation.
Greece has risen from four donors per million people to 10.6 per one million. The government’s goal is to reach 20 donors per million.
In this direction, Georgiadis announced that in the coming weeks, IDIKA—the country’s social security and prescription system—will be sending text messages encouraging citizens to register with the National Register of Organ and Tissue Donors. Notifications will also be sent via the myHealthApp.
In 2024, a record-breaking 367 transplants were carried out, including kidney, liver, heart, and lung procedures. Additionally, through to April 15 this year, a total of 103 transplants have been completed.
Georgiadis went on to add that raising awareness about organ donation and increasing Greece’s percentage of donors was a top government priority. Actions in this direction, he said, include bolstering the National Transplant Organization (NTO) with eight new coordinators, setting up a network of local coordinators in donor hospitals, training healthcare staff, and raising awareness through public campaigns.
Interested in becoming an organ donor? Register here.
Source: Tovima.com
