- Nationally, Social Security performed 42 percent of all procedures in the health sector.
- To guarantee procedures free of Covid-19, the Institute adheres to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and implemented its own protocols.
The Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS) carried out 1,791 organ and tissue transplants in 2021, this meant recovering a productivity of 212 percent when compared to the 850 procedures that were carried out in 2020, which was possible with the recovery strategy of medical services.
Dr. Pedro Paz Solís, IMSS coordinator for Donation and Transplantation of Organs, Tissues and Cells, explained that of the total number of transplants carried out last year, 815 were kidneys, 674 corneas, 234 bone marrow or hematopoietic progenitor cells, 49 of liver and 19 of heart, as well as 629 procurement of organs and tissues.
He stated that these results were possible because Social Security has a donation hospital network, made up of 72 medical units licensed to perform extraction and procurement surgery, and 57 male and female doctors dedicated full time to this activity.
Regarding national productivity, he indicated that Social Security performed 42 percent of all transplants performed in the health sector.
“We managed to do 40 percent of the nation’s kidney transplants; in the case of cornea we achieved, it was 50 percent; in liver we placed ourselves with 30 percent and in heart, we practically did 99 percent”.
He explained that the majority of patients who require a transplant are those who accidentally generated organ or tissue failure such as corneal rupture, due to infectious diseases, hepatocarcinoma tumors, kidney or liver failure, or heart disease that cannot be corrected with treatment or devices.
He explained that to guarantee procedures free of Covid-19, the Institute adheres to the guidelines of the Ministry of Health and implemented its own protocols.
In the case of patients who will receive a transplant and related living donors, a confirmatory test for the SARS-CoV-2 virus is performed 24 hours prior to transplantation, and in the case of cadaveric donation, up to three days prior to surgery.
The coordinator of Donation and Transplantation of Organs, Tissues and Cells added that in people recovered from Coronavirus it is feasible to carry out the donation and also that they are recipients of a transplant; He called for strengthening protection measures to break chains of contagion.
He indicated that on the waiting list of the National Transplant Center (CENATRA) 22 thousand 874 patients are waiting for an organ or tissue, of which 16 thousand 301 are registered in Social Security, the greatest demand is for kidney and cornea.
Dr. Paz Solís stressed that for each donor, it is possible to benefit some 50 patients who need some tissue and eight or more with an organ, “if we make this a common and frequent practice, soon we will be able to give this benefit to thousands of patients who are waiting for an opportunity”.
To become a voluntary donor of organs and tissues, anyone who wishes can consult the website of the National Transplant Center: https://www.gob.mx/cenatra or visit the IMSS page in the link: http: //www.imss.gob.mx/salud-en-linea/donacion-organos in order to register the interested person to be accredited as a voluntary donor.
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