Deceased donation and organ transplantation in Mexico. Analysis of 12 years and seven strategic proposals

Background: The evolution of the activity of deceased organ donation and solid organ transplantation in Mexico was analyzed for the period of 2004-2018. Method: The information of deceased donation and organ transplantation in Mexico was collected and ordered for said period. When there was no complete information for 2018, the data for 2017 were used instead. Main sources of information: The global observatory on donation and transplantation and the National Transplant Center, Centro National de Trasplantes or CENATRA of the Mexican Secretariat of Health (SSA). Results: (1) In Mexico, deceased donation rates were: 3.2 donations per million population (pmp) in 2007 and 3.94 in 2017, an increase of 23.1%. The rate in 2017 is quite lower than the average reported for Latin America 9.5 donations pmp. (2) The number of patients awaiting a solid organ transplant increased from 4993 in 2007 to 15,448 in 2018, an increase of 309%. (3) In 2017, Mexico reported having 255 authorized centers for renal transplantation, more than any other country in the world. In the case of other organs: liver, heart, lung, and pancreas, Mexico is the country with the highest number of authorized centers in Latin America. Conclusion: The evolution of the figures regarding the activity of deceased donation and solid organ transplantation during the aforementioned study period explains an increasing shortage of organs for transplants in Mexico, despite an apparent large installed capacity. The national organ donation and transplantation system is ineffective and inefficient.