Brazil rethinks organ transplantation in wake of pandemic disruption

Brazil has been held up as a global example of organ transplantation—guaranteed in full and free of charge by its public healthcare system, which is responsible for financing and performing more than 88% of the surgeries in the country.1 In absolute numbers, Brazil is second only to the US in terms of how many transplantations it performs.But the pandemic has given this exemplary system a shock.By December 2022, 52 989 people were expecting to receive an organ from a deceased donor, the highest number in more than two decades, according to the Brazilian Association of Organ Transplantation (ABTO).2The increase in the numbers on the waiting list is one of the many side effects of the pandemic.3 “Hospitals had to reallocate doctors and other health professionals to care for patients with covid-19, which ended up disrupting efforts to identify potential donors and organ procurement,” Gustavo Fernandes Ferreira, ABTO’s president, told The…
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