Donation transplants and tissue banking in Mexico

Knowledge about transplants in Mexico goes back to the Aztec period. Today the need for organ and tissue transplants in Mexico is high; the estimated number is 100,000 patients, but there are only 2 donors per million population, for corneas. The organ, tissue and cell transplantation law which was modified in 2,000, establishes that when a person dies, he will be a potential donor of organs and tissues. This new law will give hope to many patients, since it is expected to increase significantly the amount of organs and tissues for transplants. At present Mexico has 178 hospitals that are authorized to carry out organ and tissue transplants, and 53 Tissue Banks.