(VNF) - Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City organized a ceremony to mark its 500^th successful kidney transplant and honour organ donors on August 25^th.

Mr. Nguyen Viet Tien awarded memorial certificates and flowers in honoring donors (Source: sggp.org.vn)

Attending the ceremony was Mr. Nguyen Viet Tien Deputy Minister of Health, Prof. Dr. Pham Gia Khanh Chairman Vietnam transplant, Professor Philip O 'Connell Chairman of the World Transplant, Prof. Richard Allen with the donor and their family.

The hospital has successfully performed 500 kidney transplants after 24 years, since the first two cases in 1992, according to Nguyen Truong Son, director of the hospital.

Most of the cases used kidneys taken from alive donors.

In 2008, the hospital performed the first kidney transplant from a brain-dead donor.

In 2015, the hospital succeeded in a kidney transplant donated by a non-beating heart person.

Nearly 2,000 donors have so far registered with the hospital to give their organs when they die.

Experts, doctors assessed, kidney transplantation is considered the optimal method, providing high efficiency and economic expertise, especially to improve the quality of life of patients after transplantation.

“Kidney transplants have become routine methods, help people get rid of chronic renal failure, improve the quality of life”, director Son shared at the ceremony.

Until now, there have been 50 cases of patients after kidney transplantation have children, while 4 patients were female.

Currently, the hospital conducts four kidney transplant surgeries donated by alive donors per week.

Cho Ray is also one of the first hospitals in Vietnam to conduct organ transplants, making significant contributions to the country’s health development.

The centrally-run hospital also serves as a scientific research centre and has carried out a number of international joint projects in health care.

Vietnam passed the Law on Organ Donations in 2007, which has helped narrowing the gap between organ supply and demand./.

Minh Phuong ( According to sggp.org.vn )