How and Why Belarus Became a World Leader in Organ and Tissue Transplantation

Belarus has become not only a regional but also a global leader in the number of organ and tissue transplant operations performed, which can be considered a recognition of the achievements of Belarusian medicine. Thousands of lives have been saved, and just as many grateful hearts now exist thanks to the approximately one thousand transplants conducted annually.

Moreover, Belarus has entered the top ten in the world ranking for the number of effective donors per 1 million population. The quality and accessibility of medicine are guarantees provided to Belarusians by the state. The successes of doctors have long surpassed simple surgical interventions— they have learned to transplant hearts and lungs, not to mention kidneys (the most frequently transplanted organ).

It is worth noting that Belarusians wait six times less for a kidney transplant compared to, for example, residents of the United Kingdom. Approximately one thousand transplants are performed annually in the country. In terms of numbers, we lead the CIS, surpassing Russia by three times and Kazakhstan by ten times.

Oleg Rummo, Director of the National Center for Surgery, Transplantology, and Hematology, states: "We pay serious attention not only to performing operations but also to implementing scientific developments into clinical practice. Fortunately, the legislation corresponds to advanced standards, allowing us to achieve results in this group of very severe patients, whose treatment poses difficulties worldwide."

This facility is direct evidence that we have both the competencies and technologies. When there was a simple lack of space to increase the number of bone marrow and tissue transplants, we built this facility. The bone marrow transplant unit has been operating for a year, bringing technologies for unrelated bone marrow transplantation and cell therapy to Belarus.

The Belarusian stem cell donor registry includes about 100,000 people. Donors are not always Belarusian citizens—couriers deliver material from different countries. Such an event is not cheap, but the costs are borne not by the patients but by the state. Annually, Belarusian doctors perform around 3,500 bone marrow and stem cell transplants.

"High technologies have long gone beyond Minsk. In 2011, the establishment of an interregional organ transplantation system seemed a distant prospect. Today, the country operates an entire network that covers every major region of the country."

Oleg Rummo: "In the regions, not only liver transplants are performed. If necessary, if a patient cannot come to the center in Minsk, the operation is performed in the regions. Local surgeons perform the operations jointly with us, gaining experience. Thus, we have created a publicly accessible transplantation assistance network that many countries' residents can envy."