In response to the arrest of a director of an NPO for mediating organ donations to patients who wish to receive organ transplants overseas without government permission, a research group of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare conducted a fact-finding survey and found that as of the end of March, there were at least 3 patients who had received organ transplants overseas. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare wants to strengthen the system for organ donation and transplantation in Japan.
A research group from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare conducted a survey of patients who received organ transplants overseas through related academic societies from April to May, and received responses from 4 medical institutions nationwide.
According to the report, as of the end of March, there were 5 patients nationwide who had received organ transplants overseas and were visiting medical institutions in Japan for follow-up.
Of these
, ▽ 203 people received transplants from living organisms ▽ 3 people received
transplants from people who died, including brain dead
▽ 543 people were unknown, by
organ
The largest
number of people who received kidney transplants was 42, 416 for heart, 85 for liver
, and 250 for lungs.
By country,
the United States has 148, China has 143, Australia has 2, the Philippines has 227
, and Germany has 175
. Colombia had 41 people and at least 27 people were involved in the
intermediary group.
In the past five years, there have been 13 people who died while visiting medical institutions in Japan after transplants overseas,
and 11 people whose transplanted organs malfunctioned.
The International Society of Transplantation has issued a declaration prohibiting organ trading and calling for transplant medicine to be conducted in Japan, but the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW) has clarified the fact that a certain number of transplants are being performed overseas, and "we would like to raise awareness among the public and strengthen the system of transplant medicine so that organ donation and transplantation in Japan will be further promoted."