To date Spain is a country, where the health system succeeded to organize one of the most successful models transplantologic service.

Actually, the Spanish surgeons have performed more than 90,000 organ transplants, 300,000 tissue transplants and about 50,000 transplants of bone marrow and cord blood transfusions. And the Spanish people, needing organ transplants have the highest chances among residents of all countries of the world to get them.

In 2013, 4279 organ transplants were perfomed in Spain. It was was a record for those 22 years that the country holds the position as the world leader in this field. In addition, compared with 2012 the number of bone marrow donors has doubled, having reached 30,000 people.

Total number of donors in the country amounted to 1 655 people and the number of donors per million of population was 35.12. The number of operations for lung transplant increased by 20% and thereby broke another historical record, and the number of transplants of the pancreas — by 10.8%. Totally in 2013, doctors performed 2,552 kidney transplant, 1093 — liver , 285 — lungs, 249 — heart, 92 — pancreas and 8 — intestine.

As for tissue transplantation, it is worth noting that the history of transplantation began with tissue transplantation. Currently in Spain the following types of tissue transplants will be performed: tissue of tendons, cornea, skin, heart valves, segments of arteries and veins, cell cultures (chondrocytes, keratinocytes and myoblasts). Transplantation of cells primarily concerns the transplantation of bone marrow and cord blood. The latter has recently received wide distribution, as an effective treatment for serious diseases such as leukemia, bone marrow aplasia, and others.

Among the autonomous communities Rioja (55.9 persons per 1 million population) has become a leader in the number of donors, Cantabria (55.8 persons) and Castile and Leon (52.8 persons). In Asturias and the Basque Country, this figure exceeded 40 per million (44 and 43.8, respectively). In addition, one third of registered donors were people aged more than 60 .

Spanish legislation regulates in details the procedure of organ transplantation in the country. Transplant system in Spain is based on the principles of voluntariness, equality and altruism. The principle of voluntarism and altruism means that the donation of organs, tissues and cells is strictly voluntary and is not a way to obtain any economic or other benefits. A person wishing to donate their organs for transplants after the death to another person signs a donor card. This card is rather of an informative nature. After the death of the donor the consent of relatives for the removal of organs for transplantation is a must.

The principle of equality means universal access to transplant of all people legally residing in Spain. In Spain, a unified national network operates, coordinating the process of organ transplantation, and its activity is a subject of strict control. The principle of equality means that the patient receives the necessary organ, tissue or cell , regardless of their social or economic status. Transplant procedure in Spain os funded by the national health system in collaboration with the regional authorities. Foreign nationals are eligible for an organ transplant in Spain if they reside in the country legally. In Spain «transplant tourism» is banned, when citizens of other countries residing outside of Spain, have access to a national system of organ transplantation. Such a ban is set on the recommendation of the World Health Organization and the Council of Europe. «Transplant tourism» can lead to the denial of the rights of citizens legally residing in Spain, and significantly increase waiting times of the day of operation.

Private insurance companies in Spain sometimes organ transplants in the list of services, covered by insurance. It is worth noting that in this case it does not concern the search of a donor and receiving of an organ. All issues related to the donation and receiving of the necessary organ by a patient in Spain are regulated by the National Organization for Transplantation. Insurance companies do not have access to this process, but they can assist in covering expenses of the transplant relocation to the place of treatment, postoperative recovery, etc. When insuring services concerning transplantation, a mandatory period (periodo de carencia) is established, only after which the patient can expect to receive insurance payments. Typically, this period ranges from 6 months to a year.

Why has Spain achieved such success in the field of transplantation, when the average waiting time for a kidney makes about a year, the average waiting time for a liver — six months, the average waiting time for the heart — three months? Spain is a country where many immigrants from Africa and Latin America live. And somehow miraculously, these immigrant families perceive ideology regarding organ donation at the level of indigenous Spaniards. And the percentage of lifetime consent to organ donation makes about 85% in these families. Although we know that there are just as many immigrants in Germany, but there that percentage does not exceed 40 %.

Also it is worth mentioning that there is a special position of transplant coordinator in every hospital in Spain.

Sources: http://noticia.ru and http://www.espanarusa.com