Ulaanbaatar
Mongolia to Perform Its 400th Kidney Transplant Surgery
Society
Ulaanbaatar, March 23, 2025 /MONTSAME/. Mongolia is set to perform its 400th kidney transplant surgery since its first successful transplant.
Since its first attempted kidney transplant operation in 1996, Mongolia spent nearly a decade preparing by improving medical equipment, staffing, and laboratory facilities. Since 2006, kidney transplants have been successfully performed. Between 2008 and 2018, two patients underwent kidney transplants each year. In 2019, the number increased to 11, followed by 6 in 2020, 8 in 2021, 4 in 2022, 4 in 2023, and 10 in 2024. The transplants were performed using organs from donors who had been medically determined to have experienced irreversible cessation of brain function. Currently, 318 patients who have undergone kidney transplants in Mongolia and 184 who received transplants abroad regularly visit for medical check-ups and receive free medication.
The First Central Hospital of Mongolia has planned to perform kidney transplants for 60 patients this year. Of approximately 400 kidney transplant recipients, 57 received organs from donors who had been medically determined to have experienced irreversible cessation of brain function. Currently, around 700 patients are awaiting organ donors to undergo surgery.
As of 2024, 262 patients in Mongolia were undergoing dialysis as part of kidney replacement therapy, while 2,988 patients received hemodialysis treatment. Among them, 49 were children aged 0-19, 832 were aged 20-44, 1,481 were aged 45-64, 457 were aged 65-74, and 169 were aged 75 and older.
Regrettably, in 2024, the number of patients reaching the final stage of chronic kidney failure and requiring hemodialysis increased by 607 within a year. Over the same period, 167 patients diagnosed with kidney failure passed away, while 50 patients successfully underwent kidney transplants, eliminating the need for dialysis treatment.
The National Kidney Transplant Team at the First Central Hospital of Mongolia currently accommodates patients within its three beds, allowing for six surgeries per month.
