Transplants bring people back to life

Organ donation and transplantation are among the most important achievements of modern medicine. A total of 91 organ donors have been registered in Slovakia since the beginning of 2025, including 65 dead donors and 26 living donors. Thanks to the work of transplant teams, 194 transplants took place last year, giving patients a new chance to live. Minister of Health of SR Kamil Šaško stressed the importance of the transplant program for Slovak health and society as a whole.
The transplant program demonstrates the high expertise of Slovak health professionals, but also huge humanity and solidarity. Every donated organ represents a chance for a new life for a patient who often waits months or years to transplant. I want to thank all doctors, nurses, coordinators and donors' families for their extremely demanding and irreplaceable work in saving human lives where there is no other treatment today except transplantation, said the Minister for Health.
The Slovak transplant organization launches the information campaign CLICK on the occasion of the World Transplant Day, which is commemorated on 6 June each year. The public will receive all necessary information on the importance of organ donation through a unique QR code.
Nearly 200 transplants per year
Transplantation today is the only option for many patients to treat and return to full life. In 2025 took place in Slovakia:
- 139 transplantation Kidney

• - of which 26 from living donors
• - and 113 from deceased donors.

- 15 transplantation heart- 34 transplantation Liver-6 transplantation Langerhans Island

According to the president of the Slovak transplant company Prof. MUDr. Ivana Dedinská, PhD., MHA, FERA, there is a huge teamwork and a precisely coordinated process behind each successful transplant.The transplant is one of the most complex performances of modern medicine. It requires perfect cooperation of intensivists, transplant coordinators and the entire team of specialists. At the same time, public confidence and open communication on organ donation are of particular importance. Without her, it wouldn't be possible to save human lives,– stated.
Family Conversation Can Save Life
On the occasion of World Transplant Day, it highlights the importance of organ donation Information initiative Seven lives, which opens a public debate on transplants for a long time and brings the stories of patients, donors and healthcare professionals closer to the public. It points out that one of the biggest barriers remains the lack of information and the natural public concerns about transplants. Experts therefore appeal to the need to speak openly about attitudes toward organ donation, including in families.
The transplant coordinator MUDr. Martin Chrastina, PhD., MPH, CETC, recalls that it is the conversation with loved ones that can be decisive at a critical moment. The families often find themselves in very difficult situations. However, if they know the attitude of their loved one toward organ donation, they find the discussion of donation less stressful. In doing so, one donor can save or substantially help several patients. It is therefore also important to speak openly and without fear on this subject, stressed.
Transplanting statistics from 1.1. 2026 to 31.5. 2026 also show the success of the transplant program. During these five months, 67 kidney transplants, 15 liver transplants, 15 heart transplants, 6 lung transplants and 1 heart transplant were performed in Slovakia.

The CLICK Life Campaign will provide information on donation through QR codes

Part of the education is also new CLICK communication activity for life• the topic of transplantation and organ donation to the general public in a modern and accessible form. Through QR codes located at selected locations, people simply get to the sitewww.sedemzivotov.skwhere they find information on organ donation, transplantation process as well as authentic patient and donor stories.
The campaign aims to motivate the public to take a greater interest in transplants and to discuss them openly with their loved ones.
A simple click can also be the first step towards an important decision, an interview with close ones or an awareness of the importance of organ donation. It is information and open communication that is crucial for people to understand better what transplants mean and how huge they can have an impact on the lives of patients waiting for a new organ. We want to show the public that transplants are not a distant or abstract theme, but a reality that can affect each one of us, whether as a patient, a family member, a donor or a person whose life is saved by the transplant. Everyone interested in this issue helps build trust in the transplant program and contributes to giving more people a chance for a fresh start and a better quality of life. says the head expert of the Ministry of Health for organ transplants doc. Dr. Zuzana Žilinská, PhD., MPH, MHA.
Seven Lives: transplantation is not the end of the story, but a new beginning
An awareness-raising initiative Seven lives for a long time brings the real stories of transplanters closer to the public, pointing out that transplants are not only lifesaving but also a return to their full-fledged survival, to family, work, sports or daily activities.
The campaign also recalls that One donor can save up to seven lives.
More information on organ donation, transplantation and patient stories is available at:www.sedemzivotov.sk