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Dozens in Line for Life-Saving Organ Donations
Published 29.08.2008, 11.16 (updated 29.08.2008, 11.49) YLE
The number of organ transplants in Finland has been exceedingly low this year. Up to 100 critically ill patients could die while waiting for a life-saving organ donation.
For seriously ill patients in Finland, a kidney, liver, heart or lung could give them a new lease on life. This year the number of donors has been at a record low at University of Helsinki hospitals.
Hospitals are often blamed for not having the time or resources to detect potential donors.
Hundreds of People in Need
Finland also suffers from a shortage of emergency rooms that prep donors, says transplant and liver surgeon Krister Höckerstedt.
About 300 people need an organ donation each year. Dozens of patients die while waiting for a suitable organ.
"For example, dialysis can cost five times that of an organ transplant. That's sometimes forgotten as hospitals struggle for time and money," Höckerstedt says.
Few Carry Donor Card
Some 80 percent of Finns say they would be willing to donate their organs. However, only one-in-five people carry an organ donor card in Finland.
Cards can be picked up at the pharmacies, healthcare centres, or ordered online (information in Finnish). Family members should also be informed of wishes.
YLE
The number of organ transplants in Finland has been exceedingly low this year. Up to 100 critically ill patients could die while waiting for a life-saving organ donation.
For seriously ill patients in Finland, a kidney, liver, heart or lung could give them a new lease on life. This year the number of donors has been at a record low at University of Helsinki hospitals.
Hospitals are often blamed for not having the time or resources to detect potential donors.
Hundreds of People in Need
Finland also suffers from a shortage of emergency rooms that prep donors, says transplant and liver surgeon Krister Höckerstedt.
About 300 people need an organ donation each year. Dozens of patients die while waiting for a suitable organ.
"For example, dialysis can cost five times that of an organ transplant. That's sometimes forgotten as hospitals struggle for time and money," Höckerstedt says.
Few Carry Donor Card
Some 80 percent of Finns say they would be willing to donate their organs. However, only one-in-five people carry an organ donor card in Finland.
Cards can be picked up at the pharmacies, healthcare centres, or ordered online (information in Finnish). Family members should also be informed of wishes.
YLE
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