Regional Hospital of Santarém conducts organ donation during September Green

During the national campaign to encourage organ donation called "September Green", the Regional Hospital of Baixo Amazonas Dr. Waldemar Penna (HRBA), in Santarém, western Pará, harvested two kidneys and one liver, donated by a 25-year-old man who had been diagnosed with confirmed brain death.

The procedure took place last Wednesday (24) and involved the partnership of a medical team from Santa Casa do Pará, from Belém, who went to Santarém to perform the liver harvest. The HRBA doctors performed the harvest of the two kidneys. The three organs were sent to the State Transplant Center of Pará (CET-PA) and will be donated to patients on the waiting list.

"This patient was hospitalized at the Municipal Hospital of Santarém and our team conducted an active search for potential donors. After confirming the diagnosis of brain death, we received a positive response from the family for the donation. He was transferred here and our surgical team performed the kidney harvest. The liver was harvested by professionals from Santa Casa do Pará," explained the nurse from the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) Tapajós, Fábio Santos.

This was the first organ harvest performed by HRBA in 2025. The unit has been authorized since 2012 by the Ministry of Health for this type of procedure. Since then, 197 organs have been harvested at the unit, including 103 kidneys, 77 corneas, 13 livers, and four hearts, in a total of 55 harvesting procedures.

September Green - The Regional Hospital of Baixo Amazonas has the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) Tapajós. Today, one doctor and two nurses are part of the OPO, which works on the active search for potential donors, supporting the diagnosis of brain death and assisting the family in the donation process.

The Organization promotes actions throughout the month related to the September Green campaign, with educational lectures within the hospital for staff, patients, and companions. Actions are also conducted outside the unit, educating teachers and students from public schools in the city about the importance of organ donation. Additionally, the hospital's facade has been adorned with a ribbon and is illuminated in green at night.

To be an organ donor after death, a rigorous medical protocol must be followed to determine if the patient has experienced brain death, which consists of the irreversible cessation of brain function. In Brazil, organ removal can only be performed after family authorization. Thus, even if a person expressed a desire to be a donor during their lifetime, the donation only occurs if the family consents.

"When a person receives an organ and leaves dialysis sessions or comes off a waiting list, it is a significant victory. For this to happen, we need the harvest. And we know it is a very difficult moment for the family that is donating, and the decision must be made quickly. But when the family members authorize it, it is a beautiful act that inspires solidarity. Even with all the pain they are feeling, they decide to help others," emphasized the nurse from the Organ Procurement Organization (OPO) Tapajós, Fábio Santos.

In addition to the harvests, HRBA has also been a reference for kidney transplants since 2016, with 130 procedures already performed, including 54 from living donors - where the donor is usually a relative of the transplant recipient - and 76 from deceased donors. Just in 2025, the unit has already performed 15 procedures of this type, providing a better quality of life to patients who were able to leave dialysis sessions behind.

"We know the importance of donation in the recovery process of patients, and we are very happy to be able to perform kidney harvests and transplants here at HRBA, offering a life-changing opportunity to these users. Therefore, in addition to providing these services, we also work on awareness, with the OPO and the incentive campaign throughout September. Donating organs is contributing to the health of another person, an act of solidarity and love for others that is very important and needs to be discussed and clarified," highlighted the hospital's general director, Matheus Coutinho.

Service: HRBA is a reference in medium and high complexity for a population of 1.4 million people residing in 29 municipalities, providing 100% referenced services, meeting the demand originating from the State Regulation Center.

The unit belongs to the Government of Pará, being managed by the Social Institute Mais Saúde, in partnership with the State Department of Public Health (Sespa), and is located at Avenida Sérgio Henn, No. 1100, in the Diamantino neighborhood, in Santarém.