DUBLIN, Dec. 30 (Xinhua) -- A total of 274 organ transplants were performed in Ireland in 2019, bringing to 2,898 the total number of such transplants performed in the country since 2009, said the Irish Department of Health on Monday.
Of all the organ transplants performed in 2019, kidney transplants accounted for 153, followed by liver transplants (66), heart transplants (15), lung transplants (38) and pancreas transplants (2), said the department in a press release.
The number of lung transplants performed in 2019 reached a record high since 2009 when only five such transplants were performed in the country, according to the figures released by the department.
The figures also showed that there were 110 organ donors in Ireland in 2019, including 85 deceased donors and 25 living donors.
Commenting on the figures, Irish Minister for Health Simon Harris said that "organ donation is among the most selfless gifts we can give one another."
"I can only imagine how difficult those decisions can be but I hope they can take some solace in the relief and joy brought to the organ recipients and their families and friends," he said.
The minister also said that an additional half a million euros (about 450,000 U.S. dollars) will be invested in 2020 to develop the country's National Organ Retrieval Service with a view to enhancing the current organ donation infrastructure to be comparable with best international standards.
