Lithuania achieves record organ transplant run amid rising family refusals

Record transplant spree

Lithuania conducted 21 life-saving organ transplants between July 14 and 25, according to the Health Ministry. Another seven transplants were performed in Latvia and Poland using donor organs prepared in Lithuania. Health Minister Linas Kukuraitis called the period a record success in the country's organ donation history. He noted that Lithuania currently ranks eighth globally and seventh in Europe for effective donation rates per million inhabitants.

Heart transplants and hospital involvement

During this period, Santaros Clinics performed three heart transplants, while Kauno Clinics performed one. This brings the total number of heart transplants in Lithuania this year to five. By comparison, four such transplants were carried out in Lithuania in 2025. Tomas Tamošuitis, head of the Kaunas Regional Donation Service Coordination Centre, noted that while donation rates at university hospitals remained stable, the main breakthrough came from more active involvement by regional and district hospitals.

Rising refusal rates

Despite the success, Tamošuitis said results are limited by a high rate of refusals from relatives. According to the National Transplant Bureau, the refusal rate now stands at 38 percent, up from 29 percent at the end of last year. Donation specialists attribute this to relatives fearing they might contradict the wishes of the deceased or due to myths, such as the belief that organ removal prevents a church burial. Specialists aim to address these concerns through consultations, explaining the process and its significance.

Overall statistics

Last year, Lithuania performed 151 organ transplants, including 117 deceased-donor and six living-donor kidney transplants, 24 liver transplants, and four heart transplants. Additionally, 373 tissue and cell transplants were conducted, including 77 cornea and hematopoietic stem cell procedures. Currently, 309 patients are on the waiting list for various organ transplants, with the average waiting time for a heart transplant exceeding two years. A total of 51,867 residents have signed donor cards expressing consent to donate organs and tissues after death.