[Current situation of organ transplantation in Chile]

In Chile, the experience in organ transplantation began in the sixties with renal transplantation. Since then, a great progress has been made in terms of number of transplants, performance of extrarenal transplants (liver and to a lesser extent, heart), organ procurement and increasing the access of adult and pediatric patients to these complex and expensive procedures. Transplantation has become widely accepted as the therapy of choice for end stage organ failure and we have acquired considerable experience in the fields of renal and liver transplantation. These improvements have been the result of the great efforts made by transplant groups but the financial support provided by public health authorities has also contributed to the success. In the near future, organ transplantation will most likely continue to progress in our country, specially in the area of thoracic organs, but there still is a good deal of work to be done. In the forthcoming years, we will face the challenge of maintaining high quality levels with tremendous financial restrictions. We are optimistic that we will continue to improve our skills and experience as in the last decade and organ transplantation will become a widely available therapy with high standards of results.