Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on Sunday registered to donate his tissues and organs after death and called on local residents to voluntarily register as organ donors.

At a ceremony to call for registrations for tissue and organ donations at the Viet Duc University Hospital in Hanoi, the government leader emphasized that organs and tissues are the most valuable presents that people can give to others.

Such presents have saved thousands of people, PM Chinh noted, showed his heartfelt gratitude to organ and tissue donors and their families for giving life to other people.

He said he was touched to attend such a meaningful and humane event, which was organized on the occasion of the 134th birthday anniversary of late President Ho Chi Minh (May 19,1980 – May 19, 2024).

The event was jointly held by the Ministry of Health, the Vietnam Red Cross Society, and the Vietnam Association for Organ and Tissue Donation Advocacy.

The prime minister expressed his pride in the country’s organ transplantation achievements as Vietnam is now a leading organ transplantation service provider in Southeast Asia.

He asked relevant units to continue improving the service and expanding sources of donated organs and tissues as well as study policies for the organ transplantation field.

PM Chinh also suggested May 19, late President Ho Chi Minh's birthday, should be a day to honor organ and tissue donors.

Many officials from governmental agencies also registered as tissue and organ donors.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister of Health Dao Hong Lan expressed her deep gratitude to the family of tissue and organ donors.

Since the first successful kidney transplant in Vietnam 32 years ago, the country has become an expert in transplanting all kinds of organs.

A total of 26 hospitals across the country have effectively performed organ transplants.

Vietnam has emerged as the frontrunner in Southeast Asia for organ transplants, with an impressive annual tally of over 1,000 procedures.

In 2023, the number of brain-dead people in Vietnam donating tissues and organs increased 15 percent year on year.

The minister informed that the number of donors in the first four months of this year doubles that in the corresponding period last year.

Despite this increase, the nation struggles to meet the demand for organ transplantation, with over 94 percent of transplanted organs sourced from living donors.

Lan highlighted that thousands of patients remain on waiting lists, hoping for donated organs.

More than 86,000 people in Vietnam have registered as tissue and organ donors, accounting for 0.086 percent of the population, which is low compared with other countries, according to the Vietnam National Coordinating Center for Human Organ Transplantation

Meanwhile, 40-80 percent of brain-dead people in South Korea, Thailand, and China have donated their organs.

Lan emphasized that a single brain-dead individual has the potential to save the lives of eight others through organ donation, while also providing support for the treatment of dozens more.

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