Brain-dead man donates organs, saves multiple lives
Doctors in Ho Chi Minh City’s Cho Ray Hospital successfully performed organ transplants for five persons using organs from a brain-dead donor on April 20.
Doctors at HCM City’s Cho Ray Hospital perform transplants using organ taken from a brain- dead man. — Photo courtesy of Cho Ray Hospital (Source: VNA)
HCM City (VNA) - Doctors in Ho ChiMinh City’s Cho Ray Hospital successfully performed organ transplants for fivepersons using organs from a brain-dead donor on April 20.
On April 4 the 43-year-old donor was admitted to Dong NaiGeneral Hospital in critical condition following a traffic accident in LongThanh district.
The man had suffered a traumatic brain injury, and doctorssaid death was imminent.
Since he had expressed a desire to donate his organs and hisfamily wanted to make his wish come true, doctors called the organ transplantcoordination unit at Cho Ray, said Ngo Duc Tuan, Director of Dong Nai GeneralHospital.
On April 5 a crew of doctors and nurses from Cho Ray went toDong Nai Hospital to collect the organs and performed the transplants the samenight.
The heart went to a 46-year-old woman from Binh Thuanprovince, kidneys to a 27-year-old woman from Long An province and a44-year-old woman from HCM City, and corneas to two other women.
It was the third heart transplant done at the hospital, anddoctors from Hanoi’s Viet Duc Hospital assisted, Nguyen Thai An, head of ChoRay’s cardiovascular surgery department, said.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved the setting up of a research and development centre for human organ and tissue transplants at 108 Military Hospital.
About 1,000 people have attended a festival entitled “Joining Hands for Life” to honor those who have donated organs and raise community awareness of organ transplant and donation.
Hanoi, December 28 (VNA) - The lack of knowledge about organ donation is one of the main reasons leading to the shortage of organ donation sources, according to medical experts.
There are 18 hospitals qualified for organ transplantation in Vietnam at present, 25 years since the first successful kidney transplant in the country.
Doctors at the 108 Military Central Hospital announced on March 16 that they successfully performed the first lung transplant from a brain dead donor in Vietnam.
Vietnam now boasts a nationwide healthcare network with 1,665 hospitals, 384 of which are non-public, supported by local commune- and ward-level stations. At the end of 2024, hospital bed capacity reached 34 per 10,000 people, slightly above the global average.
The 56-year-old patient from Quang Tri province was discharged in stable condition as he no longer experienced shortness of breath and was able to walk, move around, and eat normally.
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Vu Trung, Director of the Pasteur Institute, said that under the MoU, the two sides committed to promoting diverse and practical collaborative activities, including joint conferences and workshops, exchanges of scholars, researchers and students, sharing academic materials, and the development of specific programmes and projects in scientific research, training, and epidemic prevention.
TytoCare, a leading Israeli telemedicine company based in Netanya, is willing to work with Vietnamese regulators, insurers, and healthcare providers to develop a sustainable digital health ecosystem.
The partnership is under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding on the development and implementation of the National Action Plan on Breast Cancer and Cervical Cancer Prevention and Control, signed in Hanoi on July 22.
An estimated 7 million Vietnamese are currently living with diabetes, but about 50% remain undiagnosed, a dangerous gap that is fuelling serious, preventable complications and increasing the burden on the healthcare system.
In 2024, Vietnam achieved 99% coverage for the first dose of the diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccine, up from 80% in 2023. Immunisation coverage in the country has not only rebounded to the high levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic but has now surpassed the rates recorded in 2019.
Health authorities in HCM City have issued an urgent alert after six people died from dengue fever, amid a spike in infections driven by the onset of the rainy season.
During the peak months of July and August 2025, the National Institute of Haematology and Blood Transfusion (NIHBT) needs at least 90,000 units of blood to supply 180 hospitals in the northern region. However, despite continuous efforts, the reserve blood is still short of 30,000 units.
The Hanoi ceremony highlighted efforts to ensure all citizens, especially women and youth, can access accurate information and healthcare services to make informed reproductive choices.
After such a long time, the law has revealed many limitations, prompting the Ministry of Health (MoH) to gather opinions to amend the law to give more chances to thousands of patients every year.
Currently, cardiovascular specialists from the 108 Military Central Hospital are working alongside a team of Prof.Dr. Jan D. Schmitto, Deputy Director of MHH’s Department of Cardiac, Thoracic, Transplantation and Vascular Surgery on clinical trials for MCS devices, implanted in heart failure patients either as a bridge to transplantation or as permanent treatment.
The centre not only serves residents living on the island, but also receives tens of thousands of visitors every year, according to Assoc Prof Dr Tang Chi Thuong, Director of the HCM CIty Department of Health.
Not only does Vietnam attract international tourists with its landscapes, culture, and cuisine, but it is also gradually becoming a reliable destination for medical treatment, offering high-quality services at reasonable costs.
Over the past six months, 150 communal health stations in provinces including Ha Giang, Bac Kan, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Lai Chau, Yen Bai, Tay Ninh, Hau Giang, Ben Tre and Ca Mau have been equipped with information technology systems. In addition, 117 key provincial healthcare workers have received training, with thousands more expected to follow.
During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the Ministry of Health swiftly launched a telemedicine programme, connecting more than 1,000 medical establishments nationwide. The model, which remains in operation, has benefited tens of thousands of patients, including foreign nationals.
After more than three weeks of intensive treatment, the patient's pneumonia improved, breathing stabilised, sedation was reduced, and the breathing tube was removed. He is now conscious, able to eat orally, and in recovery.
Doctors at HCM City’s Cho Ray Hospital perform transplants using organ taken from a brain- dead man. — Photo courtesy of Cho Ray Hospital (Source: VNA)
