This year, the goal of the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS), is to have 10 deceased donors for every million inhabitants. In 2017, the institution got five donors of this type per every million inhabitants, and 229 transplants were performed with cadaveric donors.
The cadaverous donor allows several people to benefit from the different organs.
María Eugenia Villalta, Medical Manager, explained that in 2012 they started with the organ and tissue transplant program, in 2013 the Board of Directors approved the policy. And for 2014, they implemented the model to supply demand.
Currently, 11 health centers have authorization from the Ministry of Health, for three years, to perform transplants of different types, depending on human resources, equipment and infrastructure.
The institution has nine transplant coordinators and they work on training more human resources, in order to streamline the processes. There are currently 500 staff trained in donation and transplantation.
They have searched for new strategies and treatment options for patients. For example, the umbilical cord blood bank was opened in Puriscal and in the next few days it will be installed in Desamparados. They also work on a plan to increase the procurement of corneas.
Marvin Agüero, coordinator of transplants of the CCSS, explained that the certifications and authorizations of the Ministry of Health allow them to have regularization and inspection. He also commented that the population is willing to donate but often the family has difficulty making the decision, once the person can become a donor.