Hospital shortcomings forced 509 patients to abandon organ transplants

A total of 509 patients in Japan had to give up on organ transplant operations last year because hospitals were unable to carry out such procedures, a health ministry survey showed Tuesday.

It was the first time the government conducted a fact-finding survey on the matter.

 

The survey analyzed the reasons transplant operations were not carried out for 192 organs from 131 people who had been declared brain-dead.

A total of 3,706 people could not receive transplant operations last year, including the 509 cases that were attributed to issues at hospitals, such as a lack of hospital staff and insufficient space in intensive care units needed for such operations.

The 509 people comprised 53 who had to abandon having a heart transplant, 364 had to give up on a lung transplant, 15 on a liver, 55 on a pancreas, five on kidneys and 17 on small intestines.

Under the current system, patients can register at only one hospital to receive organ transplants, in principle.

The health ministry has presented to an expert panel a draft revision that includes allowing patients to register at multiple hospitals.

It aims to draw up a plan on the matter soon.