The success rate of kidney transplants at the Transplant Centre of the Nicosia General Hospital is very high, experts said on Thursday.
During a press conference on the results of the transplants carried out since 2011, Nicosia General Hospital`s Executive Medical Director Petros Matsas said that the large number of transplants performed to date with a high success rate is an achievement, noting that Cyprus` transplant program equals those of the rest European countries.
Matsas urged the public to become organ donors, as the last donation came almost a year ago, in August 2013.
Since 2011, 103 kidney transplants have been carried out at the Centre. According to the Director of Transplant Surgeries Vassilis Hadjianastasiou, the results of the first 102 show that the kidney graft survival rate reached 99% and the patient`s survival rate was also at 99%.
He said that 75% of the grafts are from living donors.
Today, around 70 people are on the kidney transplant waiting list and the mortality rate among them ranges between 6-11%, per year, he said.
He noted that the 103 transplants performed have generated savings of around 3 mn euros during the last three years.
“Cyprus has a transplant program which equals those of other countries abroad” Hadjianastasiou stressed.
President of the Cypriot Kidney Patients Organisation Andreas Michael called on the Minister of Health to proceed the soonest with the creation of a dialysis unit.
