\n<\/p>\n
The hospital marks National Organ Donation and Transplantation Day on 1 November by highlighting the contribution of donors, their families and healthcare professionals, while raising public awareness about the importance of organ donation.<\/p>\n
The hospital\u2019s two Intensive Care Unit (ICU) directors, Athina Lavrenti eva and Christina Iasonidou, describe the complex process behind organ donation and explain how medical teams support families during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.<\/p>\n
The George Papanikolaou Hospital has played a pioneering role in organ donation since the 1990s, following the establishment of its first ICU in Thessaloniki in 1986 and the subsequent operation of its second ICU. It now ranks fifth nationally and first in Northern Greece among donor hospitals, according to EOM data.<\/p>\n
The hospital also has a leading role in haematology and bone marrow transplantation. During 2025, its Bone Marrow Transplant Unit carried out 152 haematopoietic cell transplants and cellular therapies for patients from across Greece and Cyprus.<\/p>\n
Around 100 healthcare professionals involved in each donation process<\/strong><\/p>\n Organ donation involves a demanding and complex process that begins in the ICU. Around 100 healthcare professionals from different disciplines at the donor hospital work together to complete the necessary procedures and transfer the donated organs to the recipient hospital.<\/p>\n The EOM established 1 November as National Organ Donation and Transplantation Day to honour deceased and living organ donors and raise public awareness about tissue and organ donation.<\/p>\n Hospital Governor Nikitas Papadopoulos and Deputy Governor Anatoli Konstantinidou said the occasion provides an opportunity to recognise the generosity of donors and their families, honour healthcare professionals and encourage greater public understanding.<\/p>\n They stressed that organ donation goes beyond a medical procedure. It represents an act of solidarity that can turn loss into hope and give other people the chance of a new life.<\/p>\n How the organ donation process works<\/strong><\/p>\n Athina Lavrenti eva, Director of the hospital\u2019s First ICU, said doctors first identify potential donors and follow the required procedures to establish brain death.<\/p>\n Once doctors confirm brain death through the prescribed tests, they explain the patient\u2019s condition to the family and discuss the possibility of organ donation in cooperation with the local transplant coordinator and the EOM.<\/p>\n She emphasised that trust between doctors and relatives plays a central role. Families must have confidence that medical teams made every possible effort to save their loved one before discussing donation.<\/p>\n After the family provides written consent, doctors carry out the necessary tests to assess the donor\u2019s suitability, working with the EOM and transplant teams. The hospital then schedules the organ retrieval operation.<\/p>\n Lavrenti eva said doctors approach families with particular sensitivity and respect for their grief. She explained that organ donation can transform the pain of losing a loved one into an act of love that may save two or more other people.<\/p>\n She also called for greater public awareness through media coverage, films, education in schools and universities, and specialised courses in medical and nursing faculties. She added that support from the Church also matters.<\/p>\n Her message to the public was that the loss of a loved one can become an expression of love and hope by giving another person a second chance at life.<\/p>\n Families need clear information, time and support<\/strong><\/p>\n Christina Iasonidou, Director of the hospital\u2019s Second ICU, stressed that doctors always prioritise supporting the patient\u2019s life. When they suspect death based on neurological criteria, the responsible doctors establish and certify death independently of any possibility of organ donation, following the applicable medical standards and legislation.<\/p>\n After confirming death, doctors inform relatives clearly and sensitively. They then hold a separate discussion about organ donation, taking into account the deceased person\u2019s wishes.<\/p>\n Medical teams check whether the individual registered their wishes in the National Organ and Tissue Donation Registry. If the person did not formally record a decision, relatives can explain what they know about their loved one\u2019s wishes and values.<\/p>\n When the legal and medical requirements for donation are met, the hospital informs the EOM, which coordinates the next stages.<\/p>\n Iasonidou said healthcare professionals play a decisive role throughout the process. They must work responsibly, follow established procedures and support families through an exceptionally difficult experience.<\/p>\n She described discussions about donation as among the most sensitive moments in communication with relatives. Families react differently and may initially struggle to understand what is happening. Doctors must listen carefully, answer questions and give relatives time and space, without applying pressure.<\/p>\n She added that public trust depends on a transparent and accountable healthcare system, clear procedures, strict criteria and institutional safeguards at every stage.<\/p>\n Organised awareness campaigns by the EOM, the Hellenic Society of Intensive Care Medicine and hospitals can help address public concerns and misconceptions, she said.<\/p>\n Iasonidou encouraged people to learn about organ donation, discuss their wishes with family members and formally register their decision through the National Donor Registry. She stressed that relatives should know the individual\u2019s wishes.<\/p>\n Greece\u2019s history of organ transplantation<\/strong><\/p>\n Greece performed its first kidney transplant in 1968, when Professor K. Tountas carried out the operation in Thessaloniki.<\/p>\n The country\u2019s transplantation sector has developed steadily since then, supported by medical advances, specialised units and legislation governing the process.<\/p>\n The Ministry of Health established the Hellenic Transplant Organisation in 1999. The EOM coordinates, supervises and facilitates the process from organ donation through to transplantation.<\/p>\n The George Papanikolaou Hospital holds a distinct place in Greece\u2019s transplantation history. It carried out Thessaloniki\u2019s first open-heart operation and first heart transplant. During the 1990s, Professor Panagiotis Spyrou and his surgical team also performed heart-lung and double-lung transplants at the hospital.<\/p>\n Its Haematology Clinic has also helped pioneer haematopoietic cell transplantation in Greece. In 1985, the hospital\u2019s Bone Marrow Transplant Unit performed the country\u2019s first autologous bone marrow transplant within an organised unit. In 1990, it carried out the first allogeneic transplant. Professor Athanasios Fessas, then director of the Haematology Clinic, led the pioneering work.<\/p>\n (Source: AMNA)<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n<\/div>\n