Transplant MD: estonians reluctant to sign up as organ donors

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Photo: Kalev Saar

Estonians are aware of organ donations, but aren't lining up to sign donor documents, Virge Pall, the director of Tartu University Hospital's Transplant Center, has said, ERR News reported.

“It is our nature not to want to think about it [donorship after death]. We seldom think about dying and we don't plan what will happen to us [our bodies] after death,” Pall said. 

Estonian medicine already has the capacity to perform kidney, liver and lung transplants, and preparations are now being made to add pancreas and heart transplants to the list, said Pall.

There is no need to have specialists in Estonia for every type of organ transplant as the volume of operations is very low. For example, patients needing intestine transplantation are sent abroad, Pall said.

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